Trump Tariffs Could Put 87,000 Canadian Jobs at Risk; Carney Says Ottawa Won’t Beg for Talks

Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada currently has no plans to restart trade negotiations with the United States, reducing hopes that the ongoing trade war between the two countries will end anytime soon.

Carney said Canada will return to the negotiating table when the United States is prepared to engage in talks in the right manner. However, he made it clear that Ottawa will not accept an approach that treats Canada as a “subsidiary” of the United States.

Carney indicated that Canada will not seek to restart negotiations at this stage. However, it remains possible that the Trump administration could eventually ask to resume talks. Ottawa, meanwhile, is not relying on that possibility.

At the same time, reports suggest the Ontario government is developing a long-term economic strategy based on the possibility that U.S. tariffs could remain in place for at least the next two years.

Meanwhile, an analysis by University of Calgary economics professor Trevor Tombe estimates that Trump’s 50 per cent tariffs could put approximately 87,000 Canadian jobs at risk. Of those, about 52,000 jobs could be directly affected, while another 35,000 could face indirect impacts.

According to the analysis, the tariffs could also push Canada’s unemployment rate higher, from 6.4 per cent to approximately 6.8 per cent.