OTTAWA
Prime Minister Mark Carney says he spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday morning and discussed trade issues as American officials accused Canada of interfering in U.S. elections.
Carney made the remarks during a news conference on Parliament Hill alongside Ontario Premier Doug Ford, where they announced $9 billion in support for sectors affected by the trade war.
"We discussed a wide range of things, wide range of issues, the situation in Iran," Carney said.
"We talked a few days ago about Ukraine and those aspects there," he added. "We talked about other aspects in the Middle East, and we did address some of the issues around trade."
U.S. officials released a fact sheet on Wednesday saying the government is monitoring Canadian activities in American politics.
The document points to appearances and statements by Canadian officials, including Industry Minister Melanie Joly, as examples of interference.
Examples cited include Joly saying Canada was targeting products that would most impact Republican states with its counter-tariffs, and an Ontario anti-tariff ad campaign that cited former U.S. president Ronald Reagan.
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra issued a similar warning in a recent podcast interview, saying U.S. officials are monitoring potential "political interference in the U.S. midterms."
In response to a question about the fact sheet, Carney said it was the U.S. that "initiated these trade actions."
"We have responded to those to protect Canadian jobs, protect Canadian companies and to develop our economy," he added.
Ford also responded, saying: "I have no interest at all interfering in American elections."
The accusation comes weeks after concerns in Canada about U.S. interference in Alberta's recent referendum, which included a question on independence.
So-called separatist leader Jeffrey Rath said in an interview several months ago that he met with U.S. State Department officials.
Earlier this month, the Globe and Mail published an investigation on key separatist leaders' ties to Republican operatives in the United States.
Trade talks between Canada and the U.S. broke down in August, leading both countries to impose new tariffs.
At the time, Trump and his administration lobbed a series of insults at Canada, posted AI-generated memes online, and moved to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America."
In early September, Trump escalated U.S. trade actions by signing executive orders to completely ban the import of certain Canadian products, including motorcycles and alcohol.
Trump said last week during a campaign rally in Bullhead City, Ariz., that Canada will "end up being the 51st state," a threat he has repeated for nearly two years.
"Canada treats us very badly," he said. "They always have. Not anymore. It's a whole different ball game now that Trump is in town."
Carney has previously said he speaks regularly with Trump, including in private calls and texts.
He reiterated on Wednesday that Canada is "ready to sit down and negotiate" with the U.S. to hammer out a mutually beneficial deal.
This story was written by the e2gold.ca newsroom from reporting by BNN Bloomberg and CTV News. Quotes are checked word for word against that reporting.