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TORONTO — <\/span>Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told the Trump administration Tuesday to \u201cstop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough,\u201d as he pushed back against a fresh wave of attacks from Washington.<\/p>\n Carney said U.S.-Canada trade talks could<\/a> resume if Washington became serious about negotiations, but he also accused the United States of pursuing terms that he said could leave Canadian industries \u201cgradually wound down in Canada and wiped out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough, and start being serious about having those discussions, we can have those discussions,\u201d Carney said. \u201cIt\u2019s not constructive, but that\u2019s their democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n His comments came after a new barrage from Washington since trade talks collapsed Aug. 21, including Trump\u2019s move to rename Lake Ontario \u201cLake America\u201d<\/a> and social media posts taunting Canada. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also said Canada could not go \u201ctit for tat\u201d with a U.S. economy 13 times larger, while U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth mocked female Canadian cadets online. <\/p>\n Hegseth on Monday posted an image from a cadet training center in British Columbia showing two young women in uniform, adding \u201cthis is real\u201d alongside a Canadian flag. Carney called the post \u201cbeneath their office.\u201d<\/p>\n The Pentagon stood by it Tuesday, with deputy press secretary Jacob Bliss saying, \u201cThe X post speaks for itself.\u201d<\/p>\n Carney said the U.S. approach in the talks would have left Canadian industries effectively as subsidiaries of American companies or imposed terms under which they would be \u201cgradually wound down in Canada and wiped out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not going to \u2014 of course, we\u2019re not going to accept those terms,\u201d Carney said.<\/p>\n Carney said Washington sought an \u201cuncompetitive\u201d deal for key industries, including autos, while pushing changes affecting French-language and cultural protections. He said any of those issues was enough to block an agreement.<\/p>\n Carney said Washington also sought limits on Canada\u2019s future trade deals. \u201cCanada is a sovereign state. We will strike free trade deals with the countries we wish to strike free trade deals,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Carney was also buoyed by Monday’s Liberal sweep<\/a> of three special elections, including a decisive win in Chicoutimi-Le Fjord, Quebec, where the Conservatives fell to third place.<\/p>\n The victories brought the Liberals to 173 seats in the 343-seat House of Commons and reinforced Carney\u2019s position as he confronts Trump over trade and Canadian sovereignty.<\/p>\n Nelson Wiseman, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto, said Trump\u2019s annexation threats carry particular weight in Quebec. \u201cQuebecers have the most to lose in an apocalyptic scenario where the U.S. absorbs Canada, and the status of the French language disappears,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n U.S.-Canada trade talks collapsed<\/a> after the two sides failed to reach a deal, and Trump imposed 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion in Canadian goods. Canada responded with plans for tariffs<\/a> on U.S. products.<\/p>\n Trump has repeatedly talked about making Canada the 51st state.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n