Canada's PM says unelected US officials have no standing to weigh in on Canadian policy

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Thursday, September 3, 2026, amid a tariff war between Canada and the United States, that unelected, appointed US officials have no standing to comment on Canadian policy. According to Ecoiran, citing ISNA, the remarks came in response to comments last week by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who claimed Canada withdrew from a trade deal with the US late last month "for political reasons." Canada and the US failed to reach a trade agreement after weeks of intensive negotiations over the summer, after which President Donald Trump's new 50% tariffs took effect on billions of dollars of Canadian goods covered by the Canada-US-Mexico trade agreement. Carney said Canada will impose retaliatory tariffs on nearly $28 billion of US goods starting September 8, 2026.