Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday declined to guarantee a trade agreement with the United States before a threatened 50 per cent tariff on Canadian goods takes effect on August 19. “Will we get all of that by the 19th of August? We’ll see,” Carney told reporters in Saguenay, Quebec, referring to his government’s push for a comprehensive deal covering steel, aluminum, forestry and automobiles. The new levies, invoked by President Donald Trump under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, would apply to approximately $29 billion worth of Canadian exports, including goods compliant with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Ottawa is seeking what Carney described as a “win-win deal” that addresses all strategic sectors simultaneously. He stressed that the forest sector is raised “every time we discuss with the United States” and that Canada’s approach links concessions to American demands for critical minerals, aluminum and energy. “They say they don’t want them, but they do want them,” Carney said of U.S. interest in Canadian resources. The prime minister characterised the negotiations as “tough” and, echoing Trump’s description of Canadian leadership as “nasty,” said such language reflects the firm stance his government is taking.

Opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, speaking in St. John’s, Newfoundland, accused Carney of making “concession after concession after concession before even getting to the negotiating table.” He called on the prime minister to use remaining leverage to secure the cancellation of tariffs, warning that failure to reach a deal by August 19 would lead to further job losses in strategic sectors. Poilievre did not specify what concessions he believed had been offered.

Viewed from Washington, the U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has floated the possibility of interim agreements with Canada and Mexico on bilateral irritants by the end of 2026, before addressing structural talks on the North American trade pact. U.S. officials have singled out Canadian dairy quotas, provincial bans on American alcohol, tariff quotas on U.S. autos and the Online Streaming Act as points of contention. Trump, in a Las Vegas speech, repeated his criticism of Canada’s leadership as “nasty” and defended his tariff policy.

Canadian and U.S. negotiators, including Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Greer, met again in Washington on Thursday, intensifying discussions that Carney said he is “very involved” in. While Ottawa has not yet imposed retaliatory measures, Carney said his government is “looking at all options” if the tariffs come into force. The August 19 deadline remains the immediate pressure point, with no indication from either side that a comprehensive accord is imminent.