The conversation marks the latest uptick in trade tensions between Ottawa and Washington.

David Coletto, the boss of Abacus Data, a polling firm, reckons Mr Carney probably amassed domestic political capital with his Davos speech, a rallying cry to stand up to Mr Trump, which plays well with most Canadians.

When he spoke at Davos this week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney referenced a 1978 essay by Vaclav Havel, written when Czechoslovakia was under Soviet control.

Tariffs will be paused for 30 days. But a 10 percent levy on Chinese goods is still scheduled to go into effect.

President Donald Trump says he is increasing tariffs on South Korean goods because the country’s national assembly has yet to approve the trade framework announced last year