Mark Carney wants the United States to stop making fun of Canada before he'll agree to sit down and talk trade.
He is not kidding, and I’m not joking.
The Canadian prime minister told reporters on Tuesday that negotiations over the two countries' collapsed trade agreement cannot restart until Americans quit "throwing shade" at his country and start treating the relationship like serious business.
Because nothing says serious global leader quite like getting your feelings hurt over internet jokes.
As you know, talks between Washington and Ottawa broke down last month, and the fallout wasn't pretty. The Trump administration slapped 50% tariffs on a batch of Canadian goods, and Carney responded by vowing to match those tariffs "dollar for dollar."
"Our message, first off, our plan has always been first and foremost standing up for Canada," Carney said, adding that there remains "a positive opportunity" for a deal "that respects Canadian sovereignty."
And then came the punchline.
"And when the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough and start being serious about having those discussions we can have those discussions," Carney said. "Look it's not constructive but that's their democracy."
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney:
— Tabz (@TabzLIVE) September 1, 2026
When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough, and start being serious about having those discussions, we can have those discussions.
It’s not constructive, but that’s their democracy.…
There it is. The prime minister of a G7 nation literally told reporters that trade talks with the United States are stuck over internet memes.
He's the head of government for a country of over 40 million people, and he's using his press availability to complain that Americans won't stop clowning on him online
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Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick isn't buying Carney's victim act. Lutnick said last week that Carney "used" the collapsed talks for political gain ahead of Canada's upcoming elections, and he came with receipts.
"I met with their trade minister, [Dominic] LeBlanc, at least 10 times in the last month. I spoke to Mark Carney twice in the 24 hours before this ended. Twice," Lutnick said. He predicted Canada would return to the negotiating table once the elections are over.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in an interview with CNBC on Monday, similarly dismissed Canada’s posture. When Sara Eisen remarked that “markets are wondering if we're now in a tit-for-tat trade war with Canada," Bessent replied, "Well, I don't think you can be in a tit-for-tat with someone who's 13 times larger than you are.”
Make no mistake about it, a bad negotiating position is what sank these trade talks. Blaming a Truth Social video is a lot easier than admitting the tariff threats didn't work the way Carney hoped they would.
Bessent also said Carney "came to power on an anti-American, anti-Trump agenda" and accused him of "doing what is best for the Liberal Party, what's best for Mark Carney" instead of what's good for Canadians.
It seems like Carney is desperate to prove Bessent right. World leaders get mocked online constantly. Trump gets mocked online constantly. How can you lead a country with such thin skin?
While Carney nurses his hurt feelings over "throwing shade," I just have one question: who's ready to make more memes? I think we all are.
So @MarkJCarney thinks he can tell Americans what to do. Y'all know what that means. Keep the memes coming! The funnier the better.
— Chris Queen (@ChrisQueen) September 1, 2026
Let's do this, people.
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