Mark Carney shakes hands with Donald Trump during an arrival ceremony during the Group of Seven Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, on June 16. (Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images)
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Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada and the U.S. are aiming to strike a trade deal within a month, a goal set during a meeting with President Donald Trump at the Group of Seven summit.
“We agreed to pursue negotiations toward a deal within the coming 30 days,” Carney said in a post on X on the afternoon of June 16.
Trump told reporters that he and Carney still have differences over policy but that a trade deal was “achievable” in the coming weeks. The president directed his team to make the best possible deal, as quickly as possible, according to a White House official.
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“I think we have different concepts. I have a tariff concept,” Trump said while standing beside Carney. “Mark has a different concept, which is something that some people like, but we’re going to see if we can get to the bottom of it today.”
While Trump said he favored tariffs because they were “simple” and “easy,” he indicated a willingness to hear out the proposal from Carney, who is seeking to limit punishing levies on key Canadian industries, including steel, aluminum and autos.
“I think Mark has a more complex idea but also very good,” Trump said. “So we’re going to look at both, and we’re going to see what we’re going to come out with something.”
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The two leaders spoke one on one for about 30 minutes. After briefly taking questions from reporters, the meeting continued with other officials from both countries for a further half-hour. They also discussed issues including critical minerals, border security and possible areas of cooperation on defense, according to a statement from Carney’s office.
Carney’s position remains that all of Trump’s new tariffs on Canadian imports should be lifted as part of a trade deal, said Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. But both she and Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s cabinet minister responsible for U.S. trade, said it was a positive meeting and they expect trade talks to accelerate coming out of it.
The leaders of some of the world’s richest countries are facing a tariff barrage from Trump that threatens to damage their economies, as well as stark differences over how to bring an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine and handle an escalating fight between Israel and Iran that threatens to further destabilize the Middle East.
The U.S. president acknowledged trade would loom large on the agenda, as other world leaders push to secure tariff agreements to lower the higher duties Trump has threatened to impose in July.
In recent weeks, Trump appeared to downplay the ongoing negotiations with trading partners, suggesting that if he does not secure suitable deals, then he will unilaterally impose tariff rates.
Still, on June 16, Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced an agreement to lower some U.S. tariffs and raise U.K. quotas on certain U.S. agricultural products.
Asked if a deal could be struck with Canada in the coming days or weeks, Trump responded affirmatively. The neighbors have exchanged proposals on paper with the most recent discussions focused on trade rules for steel and aluminum, according to people familiar with the talks.
If Canada and the U.S. fail to strike an agreement, Carney has held out the threat of retaliation after he decided not to increase counter-tariffs on U.S. goods after Trump hiked the import tax on steel and aluminum to 50%.
In addition to the metals tariffs, Trump has also placed levies on foreign-made vehicles and 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico that do not comply with the North American free trade accord. And the U.S. president has threatened import taxes on other significant Canadian exports, such as lumber and copper.
Trump also used the opening meeting to complain that the group no longer included Russia and indicated a willingness to incorporate China into the economic forum.
“I think you wouldn’t have a war right now if you had Russia in,” Trump said.
The president has long criticized former U.S. President Barack Obama for the decision to expel Russia from the then-G-8 after Russian President Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea in 2014.
Asked if he was open to China, the world’s second largest economy, joining talks with the group, Trump said it was “not a bad idea.”
