[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]
Canada Pitches U.S. on Closer Ties in Autos, Aluminum
PM Mark Carney Says Neighbor Can Also Supply Critical Minerals
| Updated:
Key Takeaways:
- Carney urged closer collaboration with the U.S. in aluminum, autos and critical minerals to strengthen North America’s competitiveness amid global trade shifts.
- His pitch comes as the U.S. and Mexico begin formal USMCA talks, while Canada has yet to formally enter negotiations, underscoring uncertainty in the trade relationship.
- Carney highlighted Canada’s advantages as essential to U.S. energy, manufacturing and security needs.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney used a speech in New York to make the case to the Trump administration for closer cooperation on aluminum, auto manufacturing and critical minerals.
The trip comes as pressure builds on Carney to show Canada is still engaged with the U.S. on trade. American and Mexican negotiators began formal talks this week on potential changes to the continental trade pact known as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, but Canada is not at that table and there is no schedule yet for its own bilateral discussions.
Carney has lately begun pushing a “Fortress North America” message in his public remarks, including in another recent speech which he said Canada is “open to deeper integration” with the U.S.
“Let’s be absolutely clear, Canada Strong will help make America great again,” Carney told the Economic Club of New York on May 28, combining slogans both leaders use for their own countries.
“Examples of where that’s true are legion, where we should work together and compete with the world together. And to those ends, we have made specific practical proposals to the U.S. administration.”
Live from New York City: Prime Minister Carney delivers remarks and participates in a featured conversation with the Economic Club of New York. Tune in: https://t.co/eh6C1Ofrbg pic.twitter.com/yC2gHGFcDq — Prime Minister of Canada (@CanadianPM) May 28, 2026
It’s a more conciliatory tone compared to earlier this year, when he declared that Canada’s close integration with American supply chains was once a strength but has become a weakness.
On May 28, Carney said aluminum is one clear example where it makes sense for the long-standing allies to cooperate, given the huge amount of production in Quebec using relatively cheap hydro electricity.
Canadian exports of aluminum to the U.S. “are the energy equivalent of 10 Hoover Dams,” Carney said. “With America’s growing energy needs because of the incredible transformation here, does it make sense to build the gigawatts here needed to replace Canada?”
On autos, he noted that Canada is the biggest customer of American-built cars, and said an integrated North American market is still the best way to compete with the automotive sectors in other regions.
The auto sector is expected to be a difficult element of trade discussions with the U.S., as Trump imposed tariffs of 25% on Canadian-built cars, with an exemption for the percentage of U.S.-made parts inside the car.
Carney has sought to alleviate this with counter-tariffs on U.S. cars and a remission scheme for companies that build cars in Canada.
More controversially, he also has slashed tariffs on a limited number of Chinese-made electric vehicles, a change from Canada’s previous policy of fully matching the 100% tariff on Chinese EVs that the U.S. has in place.
Carney defended that move, noting the tariff break for Chinese EVs is initially capped at 49,000 annually, a small portion of the 1.8 million cars sold in Canada each year. He told the New York crowd that over time a broad range of cheaper Chinese cars are expected to come in under that system, “but in a controlled way.”
Brian Antonellis of Fleet Advantage discusses how fleet leaders should be thinking about capital planning with the 2027 NOx emissions rules on the horizon. Tune in above or by going to RoadSigns.ttnews.com.
Meanwhile, Canada’s reserves of potash, nickel, copper and uranium can also be a major economic advantage for the US, Carney said. “Canada can be the most reliable supplier that America needs to put affordable food on the table, strengthen its national defense and meet the exploding demand to power AI.”
Much of Carney’s speech was spent outlining his government’s efforts to grow Canada’s energy exports and rapidly expand its military capabilities.
He ended by urging the U.S. to forge a closer partnership with what he described as “a different Canada, a stronger Canada, a more confident Canada.”
