Canada’s Carney says Trump must stop comments before bilateral talks can start

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OTTAWA (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump must stop making “disrespectful” comments about Canada before the two countries can start serious talks about future ties, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Monday.

Trump, who is promising potentially crippling tariffs against imports from Canada, frequently muses about making the country the 51st U.S. state.

“We’ve called out those comments. They’re disrespectful, they’re not helpful, and they … will have to stop before we sit down and have a conversation about our broader partnership with the United States,” Carney told reporters in London.

The remarks by Carney are his toughest yet on Trump since launching his political career in January. Carney, who was sworn in last Friday, has yet to speak to Trump and the U.S. president has remained silent about his appointment.

Carney said Canada wanted a more comprehensive discussion and negotiation of the two neighbors’ overall commercial and security relationship.

“When the United States is ready to have that conversation, we’re more than ready to sit down,” he said.

Canada has retaliated with tariffs against tens of billions of dollars’ worth of U.S. imports. Carney said Ottawa would only take action it thought could affect U.S. behavior.

“So this will be very deliberate and there is a limit, full stop. There is a limit to matching these tariffs, dollar for dollar, given the fact that our economy is a tenth the size the United States,” he said.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Chris Reese and Deepa Babington)