U.S. President Donald Trump says he is in no hurry to restart trade negotiations with Canada, leaving uncertainty over when the two countries could return to the bargaining table following the breakdown of talks in August.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Trump accused Canada of treating the United States unfairly and suggested Ottawa would have to change its approach before negotiations could resume.
Asked whether trade discussions with Canada could restart before the U.S. midterm elections, Trump declined to provide a timeline.
“I don’t know. Canada behaves very badly with the United States and I don’t know,” Trump said before boarding Marine One.
Trump added that he was “in no rush” to reach an agreement and said any future negotiations would require Canada to deal with Washington “honestly.”
The comments prolong uncertainty surrounding trade relations between the two neighbouring countries after negotiations collapsed in August.
Since then, the trade dispute has resulted in significant tariffs imposed by both sides, increasing pressure on industries and businesses with deeply integrated cross-border supply chains.
The dispute also comes as Canada, the United States and Mexico approach important discussions surrounding the future of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the continental trade pact that governs much of the economic relationship among the three countries.
Trump did not indicate what specific concessions he would require from Canada to restart negotiations or when his administration might be prepared to resume formal talks.
His remarks leave the next stage of Canada-U.S. trade negotiations unresolved, with no immediate timetable for the two governments to return to discussions.
