Canadian Prime Minister Carney said he apologized to President Trump over anti-tariff ads

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he apologized to President Trump over an anti-tariff television ad that had angered Trump and sent the two countries’ trade talks into a tailspin.

Carney made the apology earlier this week during a dinner in South Korea for Asia Pacific leaders, he told reporters on Saturday. “I did apologize to the President,” Carney, who added that he tried to steer Ontario Premier Doug Ford against airing the ad.

“The president was offended by the act, or by the ad, rather … It’s not something I would have done — which is to put in place that advertisement — and so I apologized to him.”

Trump on Friday told reporters that he spoke with the prime minister and called Carney “very nice.” “He apologized for what they did with the commercial because it was a false commercial.”

“You know, it was the exact opposite. Ronald Reagan loved tariffs, and they tried to make it look the other way,” the president said aboard Air Force One. “And he did apologize and I appreciate it,” Trump added.

Trump on Friday said that while he appreciated Carney’s concession, he would not resume trade talks with Canada at this time. The President has also alleged Canada was attempting to meddle with an upcoming case before the Supreme Court looking at the challenges to the administration’s tariffs.

So while Trump and Carney may be getting on well at a personal level, US-Canada trade talks are still in a very bad place. This is much worse news for Canada, whose main trading partner is the US, than the US, which has many more different options and a much more diversified economy.

Will Canada be brought to heel? Only time will tell.