After the Strait of Hormuz, a new target for Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump has threatened to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America" amid trade tensions with Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that he would return to negotiations only if Washington adopts the "right approach." Approximately $28 billion in Canadian exports are now subject to 50% tariffs.
US President Donald Trump threatened on Tuesday to change the name of Lake Ontario to "Lake America" against the backdrop of trade tensions between the US and Canada. In a post published on his social network, Trump wrote that the US is "seriously considering" the name change because, according to him, Washington does not expect to do much more business with Ontario.
The statement comes against the backdrop of a crisis in trade negotiations between the two countries. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that his country is ready to send its representatives back to the negotiating table with the Trump administration, but only if the US comes with the "right approach" and views Canada as a true economic partner.
"When the US comes to the negotiating table first, with the right approach toward our industries and in true partnership, of course we will come to the negotiating table," Carney said on Monday.
Carney noted that there is already a trade agreement between the countries, CUSMA, which he said is a good agreement but can be improved for the benefit of all parties. However, he clarified that Canada will not accept a situation where the US threatens to harm Canadian companies and citizens.
"An approach to the negotiating table where Canada is a subsidiary of the US, where Canadian industry would be at a disadvantage compared to American industry, and where we set conditions that would cause Canadian industry to face obstacles over time — this is not acceptable to us," Carney said.
On Friday, the Canadian Prime Minister announced that his country was withdrawing from the negotiating table after the American team presented what he called "last-minute changes," which the Canadian government defined as unfair and uneconomical.
According to Carney, the American demands could have limited Canada's ability to sign trade agreements with other countries. In addition, they threatened the status of the French language in the country, among other things by harming subsidies for French-language media and by requiring product labeling in both languages.
At the same time, over the weekend, 50% tariffs were imposed on Canadian exports to the US totaling about $28 billion.
