President Trump said Monday he is optimistic he can strike a trade deal with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as the leaders sat down at a meeting of major economies.

Mr. Trump, speaking next to Mr. Carney at the Group of Seven summit in Alberta, said the main difference is his love of tariffs versus Mr. Carney’s reticence to rely on import duties.

“I’m sure we can work something out,” Mr. Trump said. “I think we have different concepts. I have a tariff concept. Mark has a different concept.”

Mr. Trump’s trade agenda has rankled Canada for months.

The president says the U.S. effectively subsidizes its far less populous neighbor by buying plenty of its goods while Canadians buy less in total value from U.S. producers, resulting in a $63 billion trade deficit in 2024.

Mr. Trump in March imposed a 25% tariff on Canadian goods that enter the U.S., although many products are exempt under the U.S.-Canada-Mexico Agreement that Mr. Trump negotiated in his first term.

The president said he issued the tariff because Canada wasn’t doing enough to stop fentanyl trafficking across the U.S. border, even though the lion’s share of the drug traverses the U.S.-Mexican border.

Then, Mr. Trump imposed a 25% tariff on cars and auto parts, and recently doubled a tariff on steel and aluminum imports from 25% to 50%. Those tariffs are a major sore point for Canadians, whose auto and metal industries are closely intertwined with U.S. sectors.

Mr. Trump struck a friendly tone at the outset of the bilateral meeting on Monday.

“We’re going to see if we can get to the bottom of it. Today, I’m a tariff person,” Mr. Trump said. “It’s simple, it’s easy, it’s precise, and it just goes very quickly. And I think Mark has a more complex idea, but also very good.”

Canadians have responded to Mr. Trump’s economic threat by launching a “Buy Canadian” campaign to increase purchases of their goods.

Mr. Carney and his Liberal Party also rode the wave of economic nationalism and anti-Trump fervor to his surprise victory in Canadian elections this year.

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.