Mark Carney downplays tensions with Donald Trump, says he still speaks with U.S. president - Toronto Star

The prime minister says he continues to work with Trump on ways to ease global pressures on energy and food security resulting from Russia's war on Ukraine and the U.S. war in Iran.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speak to reporters in Calgary, Alta., on Sept. 10, 2026.

Prime Minister Mark Carney donned a cloak of indifference Thursday toward the memes and insults lobbed his way by U.S. President Donald Trump, and downplayed the latest round of American tariffs and import bans about to hit Canada, revealing the two leaders are still on the horn to deal with war and peace, if not the disastrous state of bilateral trade relations.

Carney revealed Thursday that he spoke to Trump in the past few days, saying that despite the bitter collapse of Canada-U.S. trade talks, he can work with Trump on ways to ease global pressures on energy and food security that are the consequence of Russia’s war on Ukraine and the U.S. war in Iran.

“We can compartmentalize across this,” said Carney, deflecting a media question about why he believes Trump has been so angry at Canada since the prime minister called a halt to trade negotiations nearly two weeks ago in the face of what he called “fundamental” disagreement over tariffs and American demands that threatened Canadian trade and cultural sovereignty.

“I can’t look deeply into the souls of other people and see their emotions,” Carney told reporters in Calgary after he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“This isn’t a question of emotion. It’s a question of sovereignty for Canada, our rights to not just protect but to promote our official languages, our culture. There are fundamental issues. There were issues in terms of where the negotiations got to on the commercial side. We’ve been very clear about what those are,” he said.

The U.S. president made the announcement Tuesday, hours after Canadian counter-tariffs on American imports came into effect.