Trump says he will treat Canada 'fairly,' but maintains tariffs will remain

WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would treat Canada "fairly" as he hosted Prime Minister Mark Carney, but acknowledged that tariffs are likely to remain in place at some level.

Trump said the North American neighbors have "always" had import duties on one another, and suggested that Ottawa has historically imposed "very high" tariffs on US agricultural products. Trump said the matter would be raised during closed-door talks, but said tariffs are "a mutual thing."

"We're going to have tariffs between Canada, and you know they have them with us," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "We're going to treat people fairly. We're going to especially treat Canada fairly. But I can't believe it's taken so long where we get charged and don't charge them."

While several nations, including the UK, South Korea and Japan, have struck deals to reduce tariffs that Trump imposed shortly after coming to office, Canada is not among the group. It currently faces a tariff rate of 35% on most of its goods under an order signed by the US president.

Asked about a lack of a deal with Canada after the US signed pacts with the UK and EU, Trump said those agreements were struck "because they're not located right next to each other. You know, it makes it, in many cases, it's much better and easier."

"It's a complicated agreement, more complicated, maybe, than any other agreement we have on trade, because, you know, we have natural conflict. We also have mutual love. You know, we have great love for each other," he said.

Carney said Canada remains the US' second-largest trading partner, and is its largest source of foreign investment, including half a trillion dollars over the past five years.

"We do a lot of trade going across the border, where we're cooperating," he said. "There are areas, as the president just said, where ... we compete. There are areas where we compete, and it's in those areas where we have to come to an agreement that works. But there are more areas where we are stronger together, and that's what we're focused on, and we're going to get the right deal, right deal for America, right deal, obviously, from my perspective, for Canada."