Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is rejecting the idea that his country will accept a rush job with a trade deal with the United States, even with President Donald Trump's Aug. 1 deadline rapidly approaching. 

"The government of Canada will not accept a bad deal," Carney said during remarks in Huntsville, Ontario, reports The Hill Wednesday, quoting the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. "Our objective is not to reach a deal, whatever it costs. We are pursuing a deal that will be in the best interest of Canadians."

The Trump administration has threatened a 35% tariff on Canadian exports, after earlier this year imposing stronger levies before pausing them. 

Carney's remarks came during a three-day gathering of Canadian premiers who were focusing on how the nation would approach the Aug. 1 deadline. 

"Our phone is ringing off the hook from other countries that want to do more with Canada," Carney said at the meeting. "I've had over 80 bilaterals with world leaders since I became prime minister. A number of the premiers have been on major trade missions. We have other things to do."

Meanwhile, Trump's efforts to improve global trade have created an uncertain situation, Ontario Premier Doug Ford commented. 

"Trump is very, very hard to deal with, just because it's so fluid. It's constantly moving," he said. "You talk to him one day, and all of a sudden, he's on some media outlet saying there's a 35% tariff. 

Ford has traveled to Washington, D.C. several times this year in attempts to work out tariff agreements with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, after threatening to tax imports on electricity from Canada. 

Canadian leaders have continued to strategize how to appease Trump.

"We would like to have the ideal deal, but what can we get?," Quebec Premier François Legault commented, reports the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

On Monday, Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.; Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.; and Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., met with Carney in Ottawa to discuss the trade deal. 

Wyden said senators are looking at renegotiating the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, which he termed as "something that we've had a considerable amount of success with since it was written during the [first] Trump administration, and we ought to strengthen it."

He said he supports Carney's decision against collecting a digital service tax from U.S. tech companies, and called for Canada's parliament to pass a law making that provision permanent. 

Hassan tried to reach out to Canada, commenting that "we know that the instability in our relationship right now has meant that some Canadians have decided to stay away from their favorite American tourist spots, and we hope you will come back."

"It's not just that we miss your business, which, of course, every good businessperson does, but we miss your friendship," she said.

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