Trump Says Canada-US Trade Issue Will Be ‘Settled Pretty Soon’

U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his position this weekend that Canada has been taking advantage of his country, adding that the matter will be “settled pretty soon.”

His comments come amid previously failed trade talks between the two countries.

Trump made the comments while speaking at a rally in Port Huron, Mich., on Oct. 25.

“Canada has been ripping off the United States for years, OK? For years. And I had to do it,” he said, in apparent reference to his administration’s tariffs on Canadian goods.

“We’ll have that settled pretty soon. They’re willing to give us anything at this moment.”

The Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately return a request for comment about Trump’s remarks. Prime Minister Mark Carney said last week his government is in no hurry to sign a trade deal with the United States.

“If it has to be months from now or longer than that, or another administration before a proper deal comes into place, we will do that,” Carney said while speaking to reporters in Istanbul, Turkey on Oct. 23.

Carney added that he is prepared to wait for a deal that matches “the interests of Canadians.”

“We don’t care about the timing of that,” he said.

Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association and a member of Carney’s Advisory Committee on Canada-U.S. Economic Relations, said Ottawa and Washington have resumed some trade discussions, though he expressed doubt that they would produce results, according to The Globe and Mail.

Relations between Canada and the United States have remained strained since trade negotiations collapsed in August. Carney said U.S. demands to limit Canada’s ability to pursue trade agreements with other countries and weaken protections for the French language and Canadian culture were among the key reasons Ottawa walked away from the talks. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer disputed Carney’s characterization, and said Ottawa had raised additional concerns about the proposed agreement that the United States considered excessive.

The White House imposed 50 percent tariffs on $27.6 billion worth of Canadian goods on Aug. 22, the day after Carney suspended trade negotiations. Canada followed suit on Sept. 8, imposing retaliatory tariffs of 15, 25, and 50 percent on $27.6 billion worth of U.S. imports.

The trade dispute has emerged as a point of contention in border states in the U.S. midterm elections, scheduled for Nov. 3.

On Oct. 23, Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins said she had persuaded the White House to revise the list of products subject to tariffs, securing exemptions for Canadian goods that her state relies on, including certain agricultural products. That same day, the White House announced it would remove some products from the tariff list while adding others.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.