1 MIN AGO: Carney Triggers Article 2 Trade Clause — Trump STUNNED as Historic Provision Activated ……….
At 4:47 p.m. EST, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney invoked Article 21 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), a rarely used security clause that allows a country to suspend trade obligations if another nation threatens its security. Canada declared that actions by U.S. President Donald Trump—including alleged trade violations and economic pressure—pose a threat to Canadian national security.
By invoking Article 21, Canada says it is no longer bound by WTO trade rules in its dealings with the United States. This theoretically allows Canada to impose unlimited tariffs, restrict U.S. imports, ignore certain intellectual property protections, or take other economic measures without normal trade constraints.
International reactions in the narrative claim that several countries and organizations acknowledged Canada’s right to invoke the clause. In Washington, officials reportedly held emergency discussions about the potential economic impact.
Experts describe the move as extremely rare because Article 21 is usually used during war or major security crises. If widely adopted by other countries, such actions could significantly disrupt the global rules-based trading system.