Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has garnered significant national support amidst an escalating trade dispute with the United States. Yesterday, Canada's finance minister announced tit-for-tat tariffs on key American industries, further intensifying tensions with the US president.
The latest escalation follows the collapse of a trade deal last Saturday. Canada withdrew from negotiations hours before 50% tariffs on approximately $20bn (£14.6bn) of Canadian goods were due to be imposed by the US. Prime Minister Carney accused the US of employing 'economic integration as a weapon'.
The US president denounced Canada as 'difficult and unreasonable' in response to Canada's pledge to implement 'dollar-for-dollar' retaliatory tariffs on hundreds of US goods next month. The Canadian government stated that the US was breaching a 'red line' concerning French language protection rules in Quebec, which require companies to provide French-language goods and services.
Polling conducted over the weekend revealed strong majority support for Prime Minister Carney's position across all Canadian provinces. This has led to a mood of 'steadfast defiance' and 'immense feelings of national unity' within Canada, according to Leyland Cecco, the Guardian's Canada correspondent.