Blame game erupts as Canada-U.S. trade talks collapse over auto carve-out

After Aug. 21 talks ended without a deal, Canada and the U.S. are trading blame over what sank the negotiations, centered on auto-relief carve-outs and last-minute demands. Janice Charette pushes back on Washington’s account, saying Canada sought a broad auto‑industry relief and that trucks were not being ignored. In the fallout, the U.S. imposed 50% tariffs on about $20 billion of Canadian imports and Canada retaliated with countertariffs, signaling a deepening trade dispute as talks seem unlikely to resume soon.