Global stocks added to this week's losses after US President Donald Trump in a surprise move on Sunday threatened to hike tariffs on Chinese goods this week.

US officials have said China has backtracked on substantial commitments made during months of negotiations.

Canada runs a current account deficit and exports many commodities, including oil, so its economy could suffer if the global flow of capital or trade slows.

US crude oil futures were down 1.4pc at $61.41 a barrel.

At 9:43 a.m. (1343 GMT), the Canadian dollar was trading 0.1pc lower at 1.3471 to the greenback, or 74.23 US cents.

The currency traded in a range of 1.3410 to 1.3485.

On Monday, Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz said it was impossible to predict the consequences of an escalation in the US-China trade dispute.

He also said the housing sector was solid despite a series of challenges and called for a more flexible mortgage market to help make the country's financial system safer.

Canadian housing starts data for April is due on Wednesday, while the April jobs report is due on Friday.

Canadian government bond prices were higher across a flatter yield curve in sympathy with US Treasuries.

The two-year rose 4 Canadian cents to yield 1.600pc and the 10-year climbed 30 Canadian cents to yield 1.704pc.

The gap between Canada's 2- and 10-year yields narrowed by 1.1 basis points to a spread of 10.4 basis points, its narrowest since April 1.