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Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks with members of the media as he arrives at the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council in Ottawa, on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
By The Canadian Press

Carney warns of tough times ahead in national address as retaliatory tariffs kick in

Sep 8, 2026 | 6:01 AM

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney is warning Canadians that the country’s pivot away from the United States will come at a cost, but that the alternative would be far worse.

In a national video address set to be released Tuesday — hours after Canada’s retaliatory tariffs kicked in — Carney reiterated Canada’s plan to respond to the U.S. trade war by striking new trade deals with other countries to become less reliant on the U.S.

“We have everything we need to pivot and prosper,” Carney said.

“That pivot will come at a cost. There’s always a cost to action. But it doesn’t come close to the cost of standing still.”

The video is the latest in a series Carney launched last spring to update Canadians on government polices and the government’s response to U.S. trade actions.

Carney said the aim is to come out stronger and more resilient so “no country can ever hold us hostage, and that we can live how we want to live.”

Carney cut off trade talks with the United States last month after the two sides couldn’t reach a deal before U.S. President Donald Trump’s deadline of levying a new round of 50 per cent tariffs on nearly $28 billion of Canadian goods.

In his video address, Carney reiterated claims he previously made that the U.S. tried to introduce measures to restrict Canada’s ability to trade with other countries, and the ability to promote and protect French language and culture.

Federal conservatives continued calls over the weekend for Carney to release the full details of the deal Canada walked away from, and for the government to recall parliament earlier than the scheduled Sept. 21 return date.

“We’re asking for the Prime Minister to be straight up. We know it’s not easy to negotiate with the U.S. President. But the best way to keep everyone united and rowing in the same direction is to be up front about the costs, the decisions and the plan going forward,” Poilievre said at a news conference in Regina Sunday.

“The only people who haven’t seen (the deal) are the Canadian people. They deserve to see it so they can judge what we are fight for, and what we are fighting against.”

In his video address, Carney said Trump’s tariffs were designed to harm some Canadians more than others. The U.S. has consistently taken aim at Canada’s steel, aluminum, auto and lumber which, which has primarily impacted workers in Ontario, Quebec and B.C., whereas workers in provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan haven’t been as affected.

“In the spring of last year, I warned that America is trying to break us so they can own us. And I promised that that will never, ever happen,” Carney said in his video address Tuesday.

For nearly two years Trump has mused about turning Canada into the 51st U.S. state, lobbed taunts of referring to Carney as “governor” — and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before him — and accused Canada more recently of wanting to be treated “like a state.”

In January 2025, before being sworn in for his second term, Trump ruled out using military force to annex Canada, but said he would consider using “economic force” to get Canada to become part of the U.S.

Canada’s reciprocal tariffs launched Tuesday in response to Trump’s latest round of 50 per cent tariffs last month which targeted dozens of products including honey, hockey sticks, milk and cheese.

Canada’s tariffs, ranging from 15 to 50 per cent, target only products that were on the U.S. list, matching the dollar value of the exports, $27.8 billion.

“I don’t believe in escalating the conflict, that’s not constructive,” Carney said in his video address.

“But our tariffs are necessary to protect our workers, protect our companies, and our communities. We can’t let American goods into Canada tariff-free while they charge our companies to export them.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2026.

Nick Murray, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press