WASHINGTON, D.C. – With just days to go before an imminent deadline, Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc met with his American counterpart Jamieson Greer for the second time in less than a week.
CTV News has learned that both Canadian and U.S. trade representatives are aiming to present a layout of a trade deal in front of U.S. President Donald Trump days before the Aug. 19 deadline.
LeBlanc was seen Tuesday afternoon at the United States Trade Representative headquarters in Washington, D.C., along with Canada’s Chief Trade Negotiator Janice Charette.
In a social media post, LeBlanc said discussions between the two sides are ongoing.
“We continue to engage at the negotiation table to firmly advance and defend Canadian interests,” he wrote.
LeBlanc and Charette met with Greer last Thursday in the U.S. capital, following which multiple industry sources told CTV News they were cautiously optimistic that progress was being made towards a deal.
Proposals being discussed by the two sides include removing the Canadian counter-tariffs on autos, and provincial bans on alcohol. Proposals are also being exchanged about changing how dairy quotas are managed.
When asked about the upcoming trade talks on his way into the Canadian embassy, LeBlanc told reporters he felt “great.”
Last month, Trump signed an executive order to impose a new 50 per cent tariff on several Canadian goods – including wine, hockey sticks and cement – for what his administration is characterizing as discriminatory trade policies.
Trump has taken issue with provincial bans on U.S. alcohol, supply management on dairy, and certain tariffs and quotas on cars imported to Canada from the U.S.
If the two sides can’t come to an agreement on the new U.S. tariffs, the levies will take effect on an estimated $28 billion worth of Canadian imports.
When asked on his way into meetings on Thursday whether he believes Canada and the U.S. can reach a deal before then, LeBlanc said in French: “I hope so.”
‘Never know with the president’
Former Canadian ambassador to the United States David MacNaughton told CTV News Channel Tuesday that although Team Canada has a “fairly substantial package” it wants to discuss, the U.S. side is potentially not ready for that discussion.
“At the end of the day, the only person that’s going to make the final deal is going to be the (U.S.) president, and I’m not sure that he’s ready right now to do a comprehensive deal, which is really what the Canadian side want,” MacNaughton said.
However, he warned against piecemeal concessions just to be “threatened” with more U.S. tariffs later.
“You never know with the president of the U.S., as I found out for a few years,” he said.
According to the former ambassador, Canada needs to continue to engage with American business and labour communities and get influential businesspeople speaking out against the tariffs on Canada.
“It’s going to take some more time, but hopefully we can get something whereby the 50 per cent tariffs don’t come on in a week’s time, and that we can actually get the sectoral tariffs taken off and then sit down and discuss an update to the CUSMA (Canada-U.S.-Mexico) agreement,” MacNaughton said.
“But it’s complicated. I don’t think Jamieson Greer is in a position to do a deal. I think at the end of the day, it’s going to be something that’s done between the prime minister and the president.”
With files from CTV News’ Spencer Van Dyk and Judy Trinh, and The Canadian Press
