Canada’s new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, said on Thursday that the country’s traditional relationship with the United States, based on economic and military ties, is “over.” However, he hinted at upcoming talks with President Donald Trump over an ongoing tariff dispute.

“The old relationship we had with the U.S., built on economic and security cooperation, is over. We don’t know what the U.S. will do next, but as Canadians, we have control over our future,” Carney said after an urgent meeting with a cabinet committee on Canada-US relations.

Since taking office on March 14, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has not spoken with U.S. President Donald Trump. While he expects a conversation in the “next day or two,” he did not suggest that relations between the two countries would improve. Carney made it clear that the U.S. can no longer be seen as a reliable partner.

“We may restore some trust through serious negotiations, but there’s no going back. Every future government will have a fundamentally different relationship with the United States,” he said.

Canada has responded to Trump’s tariffs by imposing duties on U.S. imports worth $41.9 billion, including steel and aluminium. In addition, Carney’s government has pledged to introduce more tariffs on about $66 billion worth of American imports in reaction to Trump’s latest 25% tariffs on automobiles with foreign-made parts.

Carney decided to wait and see how Trump’s trade policies unfold before detailing Canada’s response. “We won’t back down. We will respond strongly. Everything is on the table to protect our workers and our country,” he said.

Prime Minister Carney has announced an election on April 28, seeking a stronger mandate to counter Trump, who has repeatedly suggested Canada should become the “51st U.S. state.”

Polls indicate a tight race between Carney and Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party, while the Liberal Party’s standing has improved since Trudeau’s resignation.

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