US President Donald Trump has said he is cutting off trade talks with Canada “immediately” as the country looks to start enforcing a tax policy targeting big tech companies.
The latest move, which he announced on social media, comes as the neighbouring nations had been working to agree a trade deal by mid-July.
Both countries have imposed tariffs on each other’s goods after Trump sparked a trade war earlier this year and threatened to annex Canada using “economic force”.
On Friday, the US president said he was ending talks due to what he called an “egregious tax” on tech companies and added he would announce new tariffs on goods crossing the border within the next week.
“We are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately,” he wrote on social media.
“We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period.”
In brief comments to reporters, Prime Minister Mark Carney suggested that talks would continue.
“We will continue to conduct these complex negotiations in the best interest of Canadians,” he said.
(BBC)
