WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Mark Carney will have to navigate a delicate balance during his first in-person meeting with Donald Trump today, following months of the U.S. president targeting Canada with tariffs and taunts.
Carney and Trump will meet at the White House and the prime minister has said he expects "difficult, but constructive" conversations.
Carney has said the meeting will mark the beginning of a larger economic and security agreement between Canada and the United States.
The Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, called CUSMA, was negotiated during the first Trump administration.
Since his return to the White House, Trump has repeated a list of complaints about Canada and said it would be better as a U.S. state, while also slapping America's northern neighbour with early duties.
Former diplomat Colin Robertson, an expert on Canada-U.S. relations, says Carney will be prepared for any comments about Canada's sovereignty.
When asked on Monday what he expects out of the meeting with Carney, Trump said: "I'm not sure what he wants to see me about, but I guess he wants to make a deal."
The two leaders agreed in late March that Trump, and whoever was prime minister after the election, would meet shortly after Canadians voted to begin talks on a new economic and security pact between the two countries.
Robertson, now vice president at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, said there are signals Trump will treat Carney differently than former prime minister Justin Trudeau.
Trump repeatedly called Trudeau "governor" but has not done the same for Carney. The president also described Carney in complimentary terms, calling him a "very nice man."
"The president hasn't been slighting Carney the way he did Trudeau," Robertson said. "I think it's partly because any real estate guy I've met, his best friend is usually a banker. And Carney is kind of a super banker."
Carney, a two-time central banker and political neophyte, will carry the expectations of Canadians enraged by Trump's talk of economic annexation and mounting tariffs as well as a business community looking for relief as he enters the meeting.
Carney travelled to Washington with Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Public Safety Minister David McGuinty.
B.C. Premier David Eby said Monday he wants Carney to be strong and stand up for the country.
"I want him to take no guff from the president and I want him to be constructive and underline the shared prosperity that we’ve enjoyed and can be expanded if we work together," Eby said.
Trump went ahead with economywide tariffs against Canada in March, only to partially walk back the duties a few days later on imports compliant with CUSMA rules. Canada was also hit by steel, aluminum and automobile tariffs.
Trump's team and his actions, however, have indicated recognition of the important trade between the U.S. and Canada. The president left Canada and Mexico out of his global tariff agenda and provided further CUSMA carveouts for the North American automobile industry.
United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Fox News last week that the Trump administration wants to maintain partnerships with its close neighbours. He said "the president very much wants to have a healthy relationship in North America."
It is unlikely Tuesday’s meetings will see all tariffs drop after the Trump administration made clear it’s a key part of their agenda.
Robertson said he expects Canadian officials are looking to leave the White House with some sort of path forward towards a framework on security and trade. It’s remains unclear what Trump ultimately wants from Canada.
"Best outcome in my perspective would be to have an agreement that we move forward with some sense of what .. is the negotiating agenda," he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2025.
Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press
