'We didn't ask for this fight but...': Mark Carney attacks Donald Trump, says Canada would continue to impose retaliatory tariffs on US

Canada's Prime Minister-designate and Justin Trudeau's successor Mark Carney on Monday attacked US President Donald Trump on the issue of tariffs. Giving a sort of an ultimatum to the US, he said that Canada will win in trade just like in hockey.

He noted that Canada will continue its retaliatory tariffs against its neighbour and "best friend," as per a Bloomberg report. Carney further said that Canadians did not ask for this fight.

"We didn't ask for this fight.. but the Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves," Carney said. He even said that Canada is correct in retaliating against the US with its own set of tariffs till Americans "show us respect". 

“The Canadian government is rightly retaliating with our own tariffs. My government will keep our tariffs on until the Americans show us respect — and make credible, reliable commitments to free and fair trade."

Canada's 25 per cent retaliatory tariffs on US products worth $20.9 billion including coffee, fruits, and orange juice came after Trump imposed 25 per cent tariffs on most Canadian and Mexican products. 

The Canadian government further threatened to expand its tariffs to include additional US-produced goods worth C$125 billion including vehicles (cars and trucks), steel and other food items. 

Meanwhile, Trump said that tariffs on Mexico and Canada "could go up" over time but said there will be clarity on the issue after April 2. From April 2, Trump's reciprocal taxes are set to be take in place. 

In an interview to Fox News, Trump said that the one-month reprieve granted to Mexico and Canada was a "little bit of a break". 

"The tariffs could go up as time goes by, they may go up...This country has been ripped off from every nation in the world, every company in the world. We've been ripped off at levels never seen before, and what we're going to do is get it back," he said.

A month after taking office, Trump announced a 25 per cent duty on Mexican and Canadian goods covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

The taxes were delayed for a month and imposed last Tuesday, only for Trump to pause tariffs on automakers for another month. He again paused tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada covered by the free trade treaty until April.