Canada’s Trade Minister Dominic Le Blanc and his U. S. counterpart are planning to offer President Donald Trump a route toward a potential trade agreement as soon as Monday, according to the .
Sources who were recently briefed on the situation say they hope to present the joint proposal to Trump at least a day before the president’s upcoming tariff deadline.
This timeline would allow Trump some time to make a final choice before new 50 percent tariffs on many Canadian imports are set to kick in on August 19.
isn’t naming these sources since they weren’t authorized to discuss this publicly.
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Aiming for an Extension of CUSMA
Le Blanc met with U. S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington on Tuesday, marking their third face-to-face meeting in just three weeks. Neither Le Blanc nor Canada’s chief trade negotiator, Janice Charette, took questions from reporters after leaving Greer’s office Tuesday afternoon. The meeting lasted roughly an hour. Le Blanc had intended to fly to Washington on Monday, but his flight was turned back to Montreal that afternoon due to bad weather conditions. Charette spent all of Monday in Washington meeting with officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative. Apart from trying to convince Americans against imposing new tariffs, Le Blanc and Charette are also seeking relief from existing sectoral tariffs that the U. S. has imposed on Canadian steel, aluminum, lumber, and autos. Canada hopes that ongoing negotiations will lead to an extension of the Canada-U. S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), especially after the Trump administration chose not to renew it back in July. When announcing the August 19 tariffs, several trade issues were raised by the U. S., including Canada’s response against American trade policies by pulling U. S. alcohol off provincial store shelves and claims of Canadian bias against American vehicles and dairy products. Data from the U. S. Census Bureau shows that alcohol bans in every province except Alberta and Saskatchewan have led to a $360 million US drop in wine exports to Canada for 2025 compared with last year, along with a $150 million US decline in spirit exports. The new tariffs will impact about five percent of Canadian exports going into the United States. The goods affected range from alcohol and hockey sticks to cement.Tories Demand Action from Carney
When negotiating with the White House, Canada needs to be in its strongest position possible, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner stated Tuesday. The Calgary MP emphasized that Prime Minister Mark Carney has been leading for over a year without securing a trade deal with Trump’s administration. “The person who needs to be held accountable domestically is Mark Carney,” Rempel Garner said in Ottawa. “He has got deliver on his promise to Canadians – that’s why Canadians gave him their vote.” Her remarks come just two days after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre wrote Carney urging him for more “backbone” as trade discussions intensify. “Canadians deserve a good deal that includes zero tariffs on softwood lumber, removal of sectoral tariffs on steel and aluminum, a tariff-free auto agreement and full exemptions from Buy America rules for infrastructure projects across all government levels,” Poilievre added. “No more pursuing managed decline at home. No more backing down,” he wrote.Source link
