Canada-U.S. trade talks continue as tariff deadline approaches

Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc is meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington today as the two countries continue efforts to resolve their ongoing trade dispute. It is their third face-to-face meeting in the past few weeks.

LeBlanc was scheduled to travel to Washington on Monday, but his flight was forced to return to Montreal due to bad weather. Meanwhile, Canada’s chief trade negotiator, Janice Charette, spent Monday in the U.S. capital, where she met with an official from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Team Canada is working to find a middle ground to avoid new 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian exports that are set to take effect Aug. 19. LeBlanc and Charette are also seeking reductions in existing U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, lumber and automobiles.

Canada is also hoping the ongoing trade talks could help pave the way for the future of the CUSMA trade agreement, which the Trump administration declined to renew in July.