Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke over the phone on Thursday as the effects from Trump’s trade war continue to mount.
The two leaders had a “productive and wide-ranging conversation,” Carney’s office said in a statement.
The call came just hours after Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand was in Washington, D.C., to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“The leaders discussed current trade challenges, opportunities, and shared priorities in a new economic and security relationship between Canada and the U.S.,” the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Russia’s war in Ukraine was also discussed, the PMO said.
“The leaders also discussed how to build on the President’s leadership to support long-term peace and security for Ukraine and Europe,” it added.
The two also agreed to “reconvene shortly.”
The phone call between Carney and Trump comes after Trump signed an executive order last month that raised tariffs on Canada to 35 per cent on Aug. 1, and as a trade deal remains out of reach.
The White House said at the time that Trump was raising the tariff rate because Canada “has failed to cooperate in curbing the ongoing flood of fentanyl and other illicit drugs” into the U.S., as well as Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on American goods.
Carney said at the time he was “disappointed” by Trump’s decision to raise tariffs further.
“While the Canadian government is disappointed by this action, we remain committed to CUSMA, which is the world’s second-largest free trade agreement by trading volume,” Carney wrote in a letter posted on social media.