Canadian prime minister Mark Carney has defended his decision to walk away from trade talks with the United States after Washington negotiators reportedly pushed for concessions that would have weakened protections for the French language in Quebec. Carney said American officials viewed Quebec's language laws as an "irritant", insisting instead that "in Quebec, these are rights" — a stance that has won him praise from across Canada's political spectrum, even as Donald Trump shows no sign of backing down from the escalating dispute.

Trump responded by accusing Canada of "ripping off" the US for years and threatening further heavy tariffs on cars and trucks, while new US tariffs covering roughly 5% of Canadian exports took effect over the weekend, prompting Canada to plan retaliation in early September. Quebec's laws, including Bill 96 and Bill 109, require French-language labelling and content quotas from firms such as Netflix and Spotify, and premier Christine Fréchette said protecting the province's culture was a "red line" worth defending despite the economic cost. Trump's trade representative, Jamieson Greer, dismissed reports that French protections were being negotiated away as a "funny fake story", even as the row has notably dampened support for Quebec separatism amid the wider trade war.