Carney Says "Always Ready" for Professional US Tariff Talks as Canada Pushes Trade Diversification

06:34 AM EDT, 09/11/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Canada is "always ready" to engage with the United States in a "professional" manner on trade talks, said Prime Minister Mark Carney late Thursday. The US and Canada broke off trade talks last month after both sides claimed the other made unacceptable last-minute demands. The US introduced new specific tariffs on Canadian goods, followed by Canadian "dollar-for-dollar" ones. Canada is "always ready to sit down in a professional way to negotiate" with the US, said Carney at a press conference in Alberta. Carney said his government has been "looking closely" at the US counter-tariff and product bans introduced Tuesday, after Canada's tariffs took effect earlier that day. The US measures "are relatively modest," added Carney. The Canadian prime minister emphasized Canada's strategy of boosting domestic investment while expanding trade relationships internationally rather than only focusing on US tariffs. Carney added he recently spoke with US President Donald Trump. "I speak regularly to President Trump," said Carney at a separate press conference in Alberta on Thursday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. "I spoke with him in recent days."