On Thursday, the U.S. President Trump raised tariffs on Canadian imports from 25% to 35%, citing drug smuggling concerns, a claim dismissed by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who vowed to protect jobs during rising trade tensions.
The White House linked this decision partly to Canada’s alleged failure to stop fentanyl smuggling, though Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney dismissed the claim, stating, “Canada accounts for just 1% of U.S. fentanyl imports and is working intensively to reduce these volumes.”
Carney expressed disappointment with the tariff hike, writing on X that “while we will continue to negotiate with the United States on our trading relationship, the Canadian government is laser focused on what we can control: building Canada strong.”
He warned that sectors such as lumber, steel, aluminum, and automobiles would be hardest hit but pledged to “protect Canadian jobs, buy Canadian goods, invest in industrial competitiveness, and diversify export markets.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose province generates about 40% of Canada’s GDP, demanded a strong countermeasure, calling for a 50% tariff on U.S. steel and aluminum imports.
Ford urged, “Canada shouldn’t settle for anything less than the right deal. Now is not the time to roll over. We need to stand our ground.”
Despite the escalation, Trump told that he remains open to talks with Canada and may speak with Carney soon. The U.S. also granted Mexico a 90-day extension to negotiate a deal and avoid similar tariff hikes.
Economists note Canada’s economy has shown resilience amid the tariffs and is expected to avoid recession.
Canadian exports to the U.S. have dropped slightly, with many companies diversifying their markets and increasing USMCA compliance, which currently exempts about 90% of Canadian exports.
Tensions have also been fueled by Canada’s recognition of Palestinian statehood, a move Trump criticized as making a future trade deal 'very hard' to achieve.
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Elina Valtonen told the press that "the end of the conflict between Azerbaijan and...
Tensions between Georgia and Russia resurfaced this week after Moscow declared it sees “no preconditions” for renewing political dialogue, blaming...
Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili is participating in the 32nd OSCE Ministerial Council holding from 3rd to 5th December in Vienna....
Iran launched naval manoeuvre in its southern waters on Thursday as it concluded on the hosting the joint counter-terrorism drills of the Shanghai Coo...
Britain has imposed new sanctions on Russia, targeting the entire GRU military intelligence agency, which was highlighted in a UK public inquiry into ...
Canada and India have agreed to restart negotiations for a new trade deal, Indian officials confirmed on Sunday, after talks stalled following a diplomatic spat two years ago.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney faces a critical test on Monday when Parliament votes on his first budget, with a defeat potentially triggering a second federal election in less than a year.
The Vatican returned 62 artefacts linked to Canada’s Indigenous peoples to the country’s Catholic bishops, describing the gesture as "a concrete sign of dialogue, respect, and fraternity," according to a statement on Saturday.
Canada and India are reopening trade talks after a two-year freeze, with both sides aiming for what Ottawa calls a “new process”, Canadian Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu said on Thursday in New Delhi.
For nearly three decades following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the international system was defined by a singular, overwhelming reality: American unipolarity.
Chinese scientists have unveiled a new gene-editing therapy that they say could lead to a functional cure for HIV, making it one of the most promising developments in decades of global research.
As the year comes to an end, a new initiative bringing civil society actors and regional analysts from Armenia and Azerbaijan together is steadily gaining ground.
Faced with mounting public outrage following one of the deadliest environmental disasters in the nation’s recent history, the Indonesian government has pledged to investigate and potentially shut down mining operations found to have contributed to the catastrophic flooding on Sumatra.
Uzbekistan has reopened its border with Afghanistan for the first time since 2021, the country’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced on Tuesday.
Britain has imposed new sanctions on Russia, targeting the entire GRU military intelligence agency, which was highlighted in a UK public inquiry into the 2018 poisoning of Dawn Sturgess, caused by the nerve agent Novichok.
Afghanistan’s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, has said distanced the Afghan government from recent incidents involving Afghan nationals on U.S. soil.
Russia has warned that any "illegal action" by the European Union regarding its frozen assets will provoke "the harshest reaction," with Moscow already preparing its response.
Families of 153 Chinese passengers aboard the missing MH370 flight are once again hopeful as a fresh search for the plane is announced.
Residents of Darfur are being systematically held for ransom by the Sudanese paramilitary force that overran a city in the western part of the country in late October.
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