Ottawa, Canada - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was ruling out retaliatory tariffs on the US in response to car manufacturer Stellantis' decision to move production from Ontario to Illinois.

Carney said he is not considering new tariffs on American goods because he feels that talks on a bilateral deescalation of the trade war are going in the right direction.

"There's time to hit back and there's time to talk," Carney told reporters during an unrelated press conference. "And right now, it's time to talk – we're having intense negotiations."

His comments came as Carney's government faces pressure to do more to force President Donald Trump's administration to remove trade levies that are bleeding jobs and investment.

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Just this week, car manufacturer Stellantis announced it would shift its production of Jeeps from its Ontario plant to a massive factory in Illinois.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Wednesday joined a chorus of Canadian voices slamming the decision, warning it will be very "painful" for workers in his state.

"I have spoken with Stellantis to stress my disappointment with their decision to prioritize investment in the US," he said, also urging Carney to stand up for the 157,000 people working in Ontario's auto industry.

"If we can't get a deal, let's start hitting the US back hard," Ford told reporters. "We are nice, nice, nice. Play nice in the sandbox – I am sick and tired of sitting and rolling over. We need to fight back."