Trump escalates Canada trade war, says it is ‘time to teach’ Ottawa a lesson

US President Donald Trump has escalated his rhetoric against Canada, saying it is “time to teach Canada you can’t do this anymore” after trade negotiations between the neighbouring countries collapsed.

Speaking to Glenn Beck on Wednesday, Trump claimed he had offered Canada a favourable trade agreement before negotiations broke down.

“I had a deal, that was a pretty good deal, you know, quite good,” Trump said.

“They don’t have anything that we have to have, OK, we can get by. I mean, there are a couple of things that would make it a little inconvenient, but we can get them elsewhere. And it’s time to teach Canada you can’t do this anymore,” he added.

The comments come days after Trump imposed new 50 percent tariffs on about US $20 billion worth of Canadian imports.

The duties took effect on Saturday following the collapse of negotiations between the two countries

Canada responded on Tuesday by announcing retaliatory tariffs covering about US $20 billion in annual imports from the United States, matching the latest American measures dollar-for-dollar.

Ottawa also announced financial support for Canadian businesses and workers affected by the escalating trade dispute.