For Canada's new prime minister, Mark Carney, the old relationship with the United States is history. It has become clear that the United States is no longer a reliable partner, he said.
When Donald Trump said he would "swallow" Canada as the 51st federal state, it was initially seen as a joke. But Donald Trump repeated the threat so often that citizens in the world's second-largest country, Canada, had to react. The response to Trump: an unprecedented wave of solidarity among Canadians.
Under the slogan "Elbows up", Canadians are defending themselves against the policies of the US president. Many citizens are canceling vacations in Florida and Arizona. In February alone, 500,000 fewer entries into the US were registered at the border than a year ago. The last time the figures were this low was during the Corona pandemic. American products are also being boycotted. In supermarkets, products with the "Made in Canada" label are prominently marked and Californian wines are being removed from the shelves.
"It woke us Canadians up and made us think about what it means to be Canadian," one citizen told the German portal "tagesschau." Many Canadians are now worried about the future, noting their heavy dependence on the US. "Donald Trump's coming to office and the threat of punitive tariffs made it clear how vulnerable Canada is," another citizen told "tagesschau."
Carney: There is no turning back
Canada and the United States - before the return of President Donald Trump, they were two friendly countries with closely intertwined economies. 70 percent of all Canadian exports go to the United States. But for Canada's new Prime Minister Carney, the former relationship with the United States is history. It has become clear that the United States is no longer a reliable partner, he said. But Carney stressed that he will continue to speak with US President Trump. A phone call is planned in the coming days.
Trump changes the relationship between two friendly countries
US President Donald Trump's aggressive tariff policy is seen as a turning point in Canada's relations with the US. The threat of further punitive tariffs on Canada is causing fear and anger. It seems like an era is coming to an end. "The old relationship that we had with the United States, which was based on the deep integration of our economies and close cooperation in the security and military fields, is over," Carney told reporters in Ottawa. With his statements, Trump has forever changed the relationship between the neighboring countries.
At the same time, Carney announced that he would not negotiate with the US government on trade issues as long as the president does not show “respect” for Canada. In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly threatened to annex the northern neighbor and mocked Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, as the “governor” of a future “51st state” of the US. Carney was sworn in as head of government on March 14, but has not spoken to Trump since taking office, an unusually long time for the two historically close allies.
Mark Carney also made it clear that his country would respond with countermeasures to the import tariffs on vehicles imposed by the US on Wednesday. "Our response to these latest tariffs is to fight, defend, build," he added. The Canadian response would aim for "the greatest possible impact on the United States and the least possible effect on Canada."/ DW (A2 Televizion)
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