Rome (TDI): The Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, and the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, discussed fair trade policies in Rome on Sunday. In a statement released by the office of the US Vice President, Canada and the United States would try to resolve their disputes over tariffs and trade policies.
During the meeting, Vice President Vance and Prime Minister Carney discussed the ongoing efforts to secure the US-Canada borders, crackdowns on fentanyl, and the potential to increase investments in defense and security.
Regarding the meeting, the Prime Minister of Canada said on his X account, “We spoke about building a new economic and security relationship between Canada and the United States — one that addresses immediate trade pressures, strengthens our defense cooperation, and secures our shared border. We’re strongest when we work together.”
I had a good conversation with Vice President JD Vance while in Rome.
We spoke about building a new economic and security relationship between Canada and the United States — one that addresses immediate trade pressures, strengthens our defence cooperation, and… pic.twitter.com/wTjStCLoqa
— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) May 18, 2025
Both Carney and Vance were among the world leaders who had arrived in Rome, on Sunday, to attend the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV.
The Canadian Prime Minister is scheduled to meet the US President, Donald Trump, on Tuesday, to discuss the rising trade tensions between Canada and the US.
For the past several years, Canada has remained the second-biggest trading partner of the United States and one of its closest allies on various fronts including national security and commerce.
However, the relationship between the two countries became strained after the US President announced tariffs on Canada, undermining the long-standing ties between the two states.
Until February, the US and Canada were bound by the United States-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement (USMCA), which was brokered by the US President himself during his first term and ratified in 2020, bringing the three states closer through a free-trade alliance, replacing NAFTA.
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However, in early March this year, President Trump announced fixed 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico that are not compliant with the USMCA. On the imports of all cars, steel, and aluminum, a 25% tariff rate was applied under this new trade shift.
In response, Canada also imposed a 25% tariff on around $22 billion worth of US imports, plus an additional 25% duty in response to Trump’s steel tariffs, further straining the trade ties between the US and Canada.
However, experts hope that the upcoming talks between Prime Minister Carney, and the US President, Donald Trump, might ease the trade tensions between the two countries.
Javaria Khalid is a writer and researcher, who specializes in Pakistan's Foreign Policy Analysis, transatlantic geopolitics, and Pakistan’s relations with the European countries and the EU. She can be reached at javariakhalid011@outlook.com
