Trump targets Canada with 35% tariff; will defend country’s workers and businesses, says PM Mark Carney

The move comes amid a broader expansion of US trade barriers. Trump has recently imposed tariffs on several countries, including allies such as Japan and South Korea, and introduced a 50 per cent duty on copper.

Speaking to NBC News, Trump suggested additional blanket tariffs of 15 to 20 per cent would soon apply to most other trading partners. “Not everybody has to get a letter. You know that. We’re just setting our tariffs,” he said. “We’re just going to say all of the remaining countries are going to pay, whether it’s 20% or 15%. We’ll work that out now.”

Responding to the tariffs Mark Carney said that throughout the trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government “steadfastly defended the country’s workers and businesses”. “We will continue to do so as we work towards the revised deadline of August 1,” the Canadian PM wrote on X.

“Canada has made vital progress to stop the scourge of fentanyl in North America. We are committed to continuing to work with the United States to save lives and protect communities in both our countries. We are building Canada strong. The federal government, provinces and territories are making significant progress in building one Canadian economy. We are poised to build a series of major new projects in the national interest. We are strengthening our trading partnerships throughout the world,” he added.

While multiple countries have received tariff letters this week, Canada — America’s second largest trading partner after Mexico — has become something of a foil to Trump. It has imposed retaliatory tariffs on US goods and pushed back on the President’s taunts of making Canada the 51st state.

Carney was elected prime minister in April on the argument that Canadians should keep their “elbows up.” He has responded by distancing Canada from its intertwined relationship with the US, seeking to strengthen its links with the European Union and the United Kingdom.

Hours before Trump’s letter, Carney posted on X a picture of himself with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying, “In the face of global trade challenges, the world is turning to reliable economic partners like Canada.”

In the face of global trade challenges, the world is turning to reliable economic partners like Canada. pic.twitter.com/KlsXJdhCSk

— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) July 10, 2025

Trump has sent a series of tariff letters to several countries, including a Wednesday note that put a 50 per cent tariff on Brazil for the ongoing trial of its former president Jair Bolsonaro, for trying to stay in office after his 2022 election loss.

In June, Trump said he was suspending trade talks with Canada over its plans to continue its digital services tax, which would hit US technology companies. A few days later, talks resumed when Carney rescinded the tax.

(With inputs from AP and Reuters)