ISTANBUL, Aug 24 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Canada rejected a proposed US trade agreement following a series of "last-minute" demands from Washington that officials characterised as fundamentally lopsided, Anadolu Ajansi reported, citing Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail.
“Last-minute changes in the US proposed terms were unfair, uneconomic and called into question the reliability of any deal,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said after he said suspended trade talks with Washington.
He emphasised that the proposed framework failed to protect national interests, prompting a vow to implement dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs beginning Sept 8.
The Globe and Mail, citing unnamed sources, detailed significant friction over sectoral barriers, with the US seeking a 4-million-tonne quota on Canadian steel exports coupled with a 25 per cent tariff that would double for excess volume.
On automotive trade, US negotiators are said to have sought to exempt only American-made content from duties, while demanding Canada scrap all retaliatory measures against US steel and vehicles.
The US insisted that Canadian provincial governments "end retaliatory bans on American alcohol".
US negotiators also did not want the forestry sector covered by the deal, despite Canadian insistence that it was a necessary component.
Agricultural, provincial friction
Washington also targeted internal Canadian policies, demanding an overhaul of the dairy supply-management licensing system and an end to provincial “Buy Canadian” procurement practices.
In Quebec, Premier Christine Frechette said US officials pushed for concessions on French-language cultural laws and appliance instruction manuals.
The failed deal attempted to integrate trade with national security, including Canada’s F-35 fighter jet purchase and the "Golden Dome" missile defence system. US negotiators also sought tighter regulations on oil exports and coordination on critical minerals.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer accused Ottawa of upending the balance through "walkbacks".
Earlier, Carney accused the US of using new tariffs to "hurt and divide" Canada, calling the measures "a miscalculation".
US President Donald Trump on Sunday said on his social media platform Truth Social that Canada "wants the benefits of being a State, without being one".
-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU
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