Canada seeks tariff relief for steel, aluminum and automobiles
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday that recent trade talks between the United States and Canada had produced encouraging results, though major hurdles remained. “We have made progress,” he told Canadian reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of Commonwealth leaders in the Caribbean.
Carney said officials from Ottawa and Washington would work in the coming weeks on a mutually beneficial trade pact. His comments followed an earlier round of talks that unexpectedly collapsed in August.
The August breakdown led to renewed tension between the United States and Canada and the imposition of hefty tariffs on billions of dollars in goods.
Carney said, “There are important issues on which we need to make progress,” without elaborating. He said the United States was “asking less and offering more” in the latest round of negotiations.
President Donald Trump also spoke over the weekend, saying Washington and Ottawa had “the concept of a very good deal.”
Canada is the lone Group of Seven country without a deal offering relief on tariffs that Trump imposed during his second term in office.
Canadian officials are seeking relief from tariffs of up to 50% on steel, aluminum and automobiles.
After the August collapse of talks, Trump threatened to double the current tariff on Canadian-made automobiles to 50% from 25%. Trump administration officials have repeatedly said the United States does not need cars made in Canada.