CANADA IS SET to announce its response to the tariffs imposed by US president Donald Trump as political leaders on both sides continue to throw rhetorical shots across the border. 

Today Trump said the US was giving “serious consideration” to renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America”. That came after the premier of the Canadian province of Ontario told Trump he could “kiss my ass”. 

Talks to reach a new trade deal collapsed last Friday after the US reportedly made new demands that Canada found unacceptable.

Those included limits of Canada’s future trade agreements with other countries and what prime minister Mark Carney called “threats” to the French language and culture of the province of Quebec. 

Carney also said “America has changed” and that “its signature was written in pencil”. 

The result was that the Trump administration imposed 50% tariffs on a wide range of goods worth around $20 billion (€17.1 billion), or 5.5% of Canadian exports to the United States. Then on Tuesday, Trump declared the US would impose 50% tariffs on the Canadian auto industry beginning on 1 January next year. 

Carney said over the weekend that Canada’s retaliatory tariffs would target the US steel and dairy industries.

“You’re at war when you get attacked. We got attacked,” Carney said.

US Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, blamed Canada’s “unreasonable last-minute demands.”

The US is by far Canada’s biggest trading partner, with Canadian exports to its neighbour representing 70% of its overall total.

Canada is the United States’ second-biggest trading partner in goods this year, behind Mexico, according to government data.

‘Kiss my ass’ 

Insults and accusations have been flying back and forth between the Trump administration and political leaders in Canada since the negotiations fell through on Friday. 

One Canadian politician at the forefront in the war of words has been Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, who yesterday invited Trump to “kiss my ass”. 

“I have a lot of real estate on my ass, so he has a lot of room to kiss my ass. I’m a big dude. What can I say?” Ford said at a press conference. 

Ford said Trump was “a dictator” who could not be trusted. He also labelled the US president the “king of bankruptcies”. 

“President Trump is the type of person who would steal your lunch money,” he said. 

Trump had said Ford was the “less charismatic, intelligent, and overall unimpressive brother of the late, great, Rob Ford”, the former mayor of Toronto who died in 2016. 

Trump also said Canada “couldn’t survive” without the US and referred to prime minister Carney as “governor” while calling premier Ford a “flunky”.  

“They will not be allowed to keep taking advantage of the United States — Their key to survival,” he wrote on his Truth Social website. 

“Someone should get these clowns to ‘fall in line’ or, the consequences for Canada will be far WORSE!”

When Ford was asked by reporters what he made of Trump’s insults, he said: 

“I’ve been in this game a lot longer than he has. I got skin like an alligator. You think an insult from him hurts me? Bring it on, buddy.

“I’ve dealt with guys like you my whole life and guess what, you all become losers, because you’re a loser.”  

In a sign that Canada is serious about its lack of trust in the US as a trade partner, Carney said his government would be starting “intense discussions with the European Union” this autumn

He said the talks would aim “to build a much stronger and deeper economic and security partnership”.

“We can build such unparalleled access because we’re trusted, because we’re reliable and because we have what the world wants.”

Today, Trump sought to push back against Carney’s version of the events that led to the collapse of the negotiations, saying: 

“I would never interfere with Canadians speaking French! In fact, I have never even thought of doing such a stupid thing.”

With reporting from AFP