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The event gathers world leaders and decision makers from government, business and academia to discuss topics ranging from the economy and global leadership to sustainability, energy and innovation. Photographer: Graham Hughes/Bloomberg Photo by Graham Hughes /Bloomberg(Bloomberg) — Canada’s former chief trade negotiator said the country’s relationship with the US will likely get even more precarious before it gets better. Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorSteve Verheul, who negotiated on behalf of the government in Ottawa during Donald Trump’s first administration, weighed in on the state of ties between the nations after trade talks collapsed last week. New US tariffs took effect Saturday and Prime Minister Mark Carney announced retaliatory measures. “There’s clearly been some damage to the bilateral relationship between Canada and the US. It may take some time. In fact, it probably should take some time before we get onto a better track,” Verheul said during a Bank of Montreal event. SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE: FP West: Energy Insider brings you behind the oilpatch’s closed doors with exclusive insights from insiders every Wednesday morning.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of FP West: Energy Insider will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again“We’re in a rocky period in the relationship between Canada and the US, and I think it’s likely to get even rockier before it begins to improve.”Tensions between the two countries have been rising since talks to secure an interim trade deal broke down Friday night, leading to a new suite of 50% tariffs from the White House.Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Trump exchanged insults, with the leader of Canada’s largest province saying that Trump can “kiss my a——.” The US president has threatened even more tariffs on Canada — 50% tariffs on cars and auto parts — and said his administration was considering renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America. Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance gave a speech in Maine in which he called Canada a “state,” before saying it was a “Freudian slip.” The Carney government sees little chance of resuming talks with the Trump administration before the November US midterm elections, Bloomberg News reported earlier this week. Verheul said it seemed the two countries were on track to sign a deal last week, but the US side tried to impose terms in the paperwork that made an agreement unworkable. That included the exclusion of aluminum-containing products and medium and heavy trucks from proposed tariff reductions, he said, as well as a demand for Canada to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum coming from other countries, which would have meant breaching agreements with those trading partners. The US was also “not prepared to accept any constraints on their ability to add further tariffs going forward,” he added. “All of this generally would have locked Canada into a position where we would have had a very unbalanced trade relationship,” he said. “So I don’t think Canada had any choice other than to reject what was on the table at that point in time.”The US Trade Representative’s office disputed Verheul’s characterization of the draft deal.“Mr. Verheul appears to be unfamiliar with the talks, given that the United States offered to reduce tariffs on aluminum derivative” products, it said, “as part of a broader concept shared by Canada for several months to establish a ‘Fortress North America’ to protect critical supply chains.”For trade talks to pick back up, Verheul said there would likely need to be a kind of “temporary ceasefire” or “smaller climb-down from where we are now.” He argued that pushing off the trade discussions until the countries begin formal talks in the review of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement might be a favorable outcome. “I think also a consideration in all of this is that I think it’s clear that President Trump will get increasingly weaker over time with respect to his tariff policy,” Verheul said. “I think that the failure of his tariff policy, not just with Canada, but with other countries around the world will become increasingly evident and that could perhaps give us a bit of a greater advantage in future discussions.” —With assistance from Alicia Diaz.(Adds comment from the USTR’s office in the 13-14th paragraphs.) 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