'Canada must wait,' tweets Trump, renewing auto tariff threat

Trump: Canada must wait on NAFTA NAFTA talks continued between the U.S. and Mexico while President Trump took another shot at the Canadian auto industry.

OTTAWA – U.S. President Donald Trump is renewing his attack on Canada over trade.

On Friday evening he took to Twitter to restate his threat of levelling tariffs on the Canadian auto sector, while claiming "Canada must wait" to make a deal.

In the 51-word tweet, Trump said that a deal with Mexico is "coming along nicely," and that the incoming Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador "has been an absolute gentleman."

Trump said that Canada has to wait, citing too-high tariffs and trade barriers. It’s now been over two months since Trump levelled steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada, and over a month since the federal government retaliated with counter-tariffs on American-made steel, aluminum, and other goods.

"Will tax cars if we can't make a deal!" the president said. Trump has made this threat on several occasions and those in the industry have expressed concern about the impact that could have throughout North America.

The tweet comes amid ongoing tepidness about when NAFTA renegotiations will resume. One-on-one talks between the U.S. and Mexico are set to continue next week, longer than initially anticipated. Though, Canadian officials have expressed hope that a deal could still be made soon.

A government official speaking on background tells CTV News that the ongoing three-way negotiation will continue after the current U.S.-Mexico meetings conclude, potentially as early as next week. The official said that Canada’s focus remains unchanged and that they’re glad that bilateral issues are being sorted out between the U.S. and Mexico.