**TRENTON, Canada**
Prime Minister-designate Mark Carney said Wednesday that he is willing to sit down with the Americans to negotiate an end to the trade war as long as “there is respect for Canadian sovereignty.”
Speaking to workers and the media at a plant of the Canadian steel company, Dofasco, Carney signaled a willingness to try to restore what he called the “greatest partnership” in the world.
Carney said he respects US President Donald Trump’s concerns for US workers and fentanyl, adding that "we are ready to sit down".
Carney’s words came on the morning that Trump fired another salvo in his trade war with Canada, slapping 25% tariffs on imports of Canadian steel and aluminum.
Canada immediately responded with Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc saying that reciprocal tariffs of CAN$29.8 billion ($20.78 billion) will be levied at 12.01 a.m. local time Thursday (0400GMT).
Canadian Foreign Minister Melani Joly, meanwhile, said at a news conference Wednesday that the tariffs pose “an existential threat to our country.”
“The excuse for these tariffs shift every day,” she said. “The only constant in this unjustified and unjustifiable trade war seems to be President Trump’s talks of annexing our country through economic coercion.”
As the war of words continue to be fired, Canadian officials, including LeBlanc and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, will meet US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington on Thursday.
LeBlanc said he hoped to get Trump to eliminate the tariffs and snuff out the ones the American president expects to enact April 2.
LeBlanc said Trump’s “outrageous comments” concerning Canadian sovereignty need to be tackled with US officials in a face-to-face meeting.
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