PM Carney says bad trade deals for Canada have been on the table ‘for months’

The Front Bench panel discusses the threat of new U.S. tariffs over forced labour concerns and whether they’re legitimate.

Asked Friday about Canada’s free trade negotiations with the United States, Prime Minister Mark Carney said “there are bad deals” that have been on the table for Canadian industries “for months.”

Canada is in the midst of talks surrounding its trilateral trade negotiations with the U.S. and Mexico. Those conversations have been under increased pressure due to U.S. President Trump’s tariffs on a range of imports from key Canadian industries.

CTV News’ Abigail Bimman asked the prime minister why he did not raise trade with the American president during their phone call earlier this week. Carney said the call was focused specifically on security issues.

She asked him to speak directly to Canadians in industries affected by U.S. tariffs. “There are bad deals that have been on the table for those industries for months,” said the prime minister, without providing specifics.

Carney has said he’s comfortable waiting to sign a deal if it means a better turnout for domestic industries. He reiterated that on Friday, saying his team would not accept a deal that “damages” those industries.

“We are in active discussions with the U.S.,” Carney also said, noting Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc will meet with his American and Mexican counterparts on July 1 – the deadline for the three countries to indicate whether they want to renew the deal outright or launch a review process.

That date is less than a week away, but officials are still far from securing an agreement.

At least, that’s according to Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, who told CTV News in an exclusive interview earlier this week, “We’re not anywhere close to announcing any type of a framework or an interim agreement.”

“I really think it’s in the hands now, on our side, it’s going to be the president, and I’m assuming on the Canadian side it will be the prime minister, to determine what the next steps are and directionally, where we’re headed,” Hoekstra said.

Canada and Mexico have both already formally declared they want to seek a 16-year extension of CUSMA, or the Canada-U.S. Mexico Agreement, but the U.S. position remains unclear.

Carney said he would also meet Trump during the NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, next month.

With files from CTV News’ Spencer Van Dyk