Canadaupdated 53m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 15 December 2025Kevin Hassett Says US-Canada Trade Talks Are Very Close To A Deal
“The US and Canada are ‘very close’ to settling their tariff standoff, according to the White House.”
“I don’t know that.”
Photo: U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Canada / US federal government, Public domain · Cropped for layout
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US-Canada talks are accelerating and very close to a final deal. The US has eliminated 50% tariffs on selected Canadian goods.
Deal talk nears
White House National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett said the United States and Canada are “very close to finally having a deal,” adding that negotiations are “gathering steam.”
Hassett said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick “had been speaking with Canadian counterparts throughout the week,” and he blamed Canadian elections, including an Alberta secession vote, for making earlier talks “impossible.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “ready to sit down and negotiate when the U.S. is,” while insisting on “a deal that’s in the interests of Canadians.”
Trump’s campaign comments tied the tariff fight to the Nov. 3 midterms, and Trump told Fox 2 Detroit that “we’re getting close to a deal, and a deal could happen that’s going to be very good for everybody.”
Tariffs shift, politics drive
The White House said it was exempting some Canadian products from tariffs and adding duties to others, and Hassett said “President Trump has put the citizens of Maine first.” Senator Susan Collins said the administration would remove 50% tariffs on Canadian plywood, bleached paper, cartons and specialized agricultural machinery, and Collins said it would help Maine’s rural and coastal economy.
A U.S. official said outcomes remain uncertain because Washington still views Canada’s proposals as insufficient, and the official said Trump will only approve a deal that is good for the U.S. LeBlanc’s office said Canada “remains in constructive dialogue” with the U.S. on tariffs, and LeBlanc said Canada stands ready to work “in good faith towards a more mutually beneficial trading relationship that respects Canada’s interests.”
What is at stake
The trade dispute previously prompted retaliatory measures after negotiations broke down in August, and the tariff standoff had imposed 50% tariffs on approximately $20 billion in Canadian imports.
Hassett said the U.S. economy was “about the best economy we’ve ever seen,” citing growth of 3% to 4%, and he predicted stronger growth if energy prices declined.
Carney said the U.S. government’s “signature was written in pencil,” and he said he does not know whether it would be “in pen” for a future trade deal.
The Globe and Mail reported that six sources familiar with negotiations said the White House is seeking a breakthrough ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, while Canada’s bottom lines and “red lines” drawn in August remain central to whether talks can produce relief from tariffs.