Canadaupdated 1h ago2 min read
Mark Carney Says More Intensive Canada-U.S. Trade Talks Began After Call With Donald Trump
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More intensive Canada–U.S. trade talks began after Carney–Trump call. Washington asking less and offering more; progress, but no deal yet.
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Talks Intensify Again
Prime Minister Mark Carney said “more intensive” trade negotiations with the United States had already begun after his telephone conversation with President Donald Trump last weekend.
Carney told reporters in St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda that “We are making progress, but it’s not over yet,” while he said some of Canada’s “red lines” had been removed, notably on language, culture and the ability to negotiate trade agreements.
Donald Trump told Fox News that “Canada is in a very good place; we will finalize a deal with Canada very soon,” and he said Canada would provide fertilizer to the United States duty-free.
Carney also said the United States was “asking less and offer[ing] more,” and he said the negotiations still needed to progress on important issues without specifying which ones.
Red Lines and Tariffs
Carney said the United States was “asking less and they’re offering more, but we’re not quite there,” while he described the shift as the White House dropping some of Canada’s earlier demands. Carney said “Those are now off the table,” referring to U.S. negotiators taking issue with rules that ensure French-language content is easy to find on streaming platforms and attempts to restrict Canada’s ability to strike trade deals with other countries.
Reuters reported that Trump said on Tuesday the United States was close to making a trade deal with Canada, and Trump told Fox News, “Canada is very good, we’re going to make a deal with Canada very soon.” Reuters also said the imposition of tariffs on Canada emerged as an issue in northern U.S. border states like Michigan and Maine before U.S. midterm elections on Tuesday.
What Comes Next
Carney said the discussions would be “more intensive, so we must be transparent in this context,” and he said it was “not always necessary” for Canadian trade negotiators to officially travel to the U.S. Trade Representative or the Department of Commerce.
“On Aug. 18, Mr. Trump announced that the two countries had reached a deal ‘subject to the finalization of documents.’”
Carney said on Tuesday that he did not indicate when Canada’s chief negotiator was likely to return to Washington, while he said both sides had made progress on restricting Canada’s capacity to negotiate trade deals with other countries.
The Globe and Mail said Ottawa and Washington were heading back to the bargaining table for the third time in just over a year, after Carney pulled out at the 11th hour in August.
The Globe and Mail said the U.S. and Canadian trade teams appeared close to an agreement on Aug. 18 “subject to the finalization of documents,” and it said Carney announced he was pulling his negotiating team back from Washington three days later with less than 30 minutes to go until the tariff deadline.