Ottawa, Canada - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney apologized for giving a flippant answer when asked about his contact to US President Donald Trump.

On Sunday, a report asked Carney whether he had spoken with Trump since their public falling out in October.

"We're busy, he's got other things to do, and we'll re-engage when it's appropriate," Carney shot back. "Who cares?... I spoke to him. I'll speak to him again when it matters."

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre latched onto these comments to grill Carney in the Parliament, saying: "Before the election he promised 'elbows up' – after, it was 'who cares?'"

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In response, Carney conceded: "When I had the great honor from my constituents of being elected to be a deputy of this House, unlike some others in the chamber today, I made a promise to Canadians that when I make a mistake, I'll admit it."

He added: "That was a poor choice of words about a serious issue."

The exchange came at a difficult time for Canadian-US relations. Trump imposed additional tariffs and broke off trade talks in a furious reaction to a political ad that harnessed Ronald Reagan to argue against his economic policies.

The Carney government also barely managed to get a contentious budget bill through parliament last week, narrowly avoiding the possibility of yet another election.