U.S. treasury secretary taunts Canadian navy’s lack of firepower: ‘Two submarines from the Edmonton mall’

U.S. Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent speaks to reporters as he arrives for the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, on August 31, 2026. Photo by ALLISON JOYCE /AFP via Getty Images

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U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration is “not at war” with Canada, dismissing Prime Minister Mark Carney’s concerns about the ongoing trade rift while also taunting Canada for its lack of military naval power.

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In an appearance on CNBC, Bessent laughed off any suggestion that the U.S.-Canada trade dispute amounted to conflict between the two countries, then jokingly asked whether Canada would attack the U.S. with its fleet of defunct submarines that were once part of a West Edmonton Mall tourist attraction.

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“We’re not at war with Canada. How are we going to be at war with Canada? What, are they going to take their two submarines from the Edmonton mall and sic them on us?”

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Bessent, who was responding to Carney’s previous claim that Canada was now “at war” with the U.S. and fighting for its sovereignty, took direct aim at the prime minister in his comments, framing Carney’s posture toward the U.S. as being politically motivated.

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The West Edmonton Mall previously had four white and yellow submarines operating at its Deep Sea Adventure ride, which opened in 1985 and took riders through the mall’s aquarium. The ride was closed in 2005 after ridership dwindled. The submarines, which continued to fall off of the tracks they travelled on, were later dismantled in 2012.

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Canadian observers had long pointed out that the ride had more operational submarines than the entire Canadian military. The Royal Canadian Navy currently has just four aging submarines in its fleet, each with intensive maintenance schedules that typically keep just one or two operational at a time.

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In July, the federal government announced plans to purchase a new fleet of up to 12 submarines from Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), with the first orders set for delivery in 2034. The entire submarine program is expected to cost around $100 billion.

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The U.S. treasury secretary is just the latest Trump administration official to throw a jab at Ottawa as they look to justify their trade fight to American voters. Carney and his trade negotiators have been in a war of words with administration officials including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who have long sought to frame the trade dispute as a result of Canada’s decision to back away from diplomatic discussions.

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“I think this is very unfortunate that prime minister Carney has turned this into a political shouting match,” Bessent said during the CNBC interview.

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In late July, U.S. President Donald Trump declared he would be slapping punishing 50 per cent tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian exports, including on products like alcohol and dairy, unless the two sides could reach a new trade deal. Negotiations ultimately fell through after the U.S. president added last-minute amendments that would have restricted Canada’s ability to trade with other nations, Carney and several other media reports have said. Canada responded with its own retaliatory tariffs on a range of products like home appliances and makeup, which will take effect Sept. 8.

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Bessent on Monday said that Carney had won the election on an “anti-Trump” campaign, and sought to frame Canada’s trade posture as a result of the prime minister’s political interests.

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“Carney “came to power on an anti-American, anti-Trump agenda. He was 20 points behind in the polls, and then he started this. And it’s unfortunate that he’s not doing what’s best for the Canadian people. He’s doing what’s best for the Liberal Party, what’s best for Mark Carney. And in the long run, the Canadian people are going to see through that.

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Bessent denied that the U.S. had poisoned the trade talks by asking for too many concessions from Canada, saying that Ottawa had received a better offer than “any country on the globe.”

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