Canada and the United States are finalizing a highly anticipated trade deal, with President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney touting it as a success. Trump stated the proposed agreement will be welcome by US farmers and manufacturers, while Carney emphasized securing “the best terms” for Canada’s strategic sectors and providing certainty on the future of US-Canada trade. Trade negotiators met on Wednesday for the third time in as many days, following a pause on a new wave of tariffs threatened by the Trump administration. The Americans are “very happy” with the latest discussions, according to US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who said the Americans are confident that we’ve reached an agreement that will not only continue to protect American workers, American jobs, and American supply chains, but really strengthen the North American economy. The deal eliminates ‘some of the irritants’ that the US has had with Canada, and Trump announced that Canada has agreed to eliminate tariffs on US farmers, though he did not specify which specific agricultural sectors would benefit. In a post on X, US Trade Representative Dominic LeBlanc congratulated Greer and Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc “for the significant progress” made in negotiations, noting that the deal reinforces that Canadian advantage. LeBlanc added that the deal will include a ban on US alcohol sales, imposed last year by most Canadian provinces in retaliation to Trump’s tariffs, be removed. The deal’s scope remains unclear, with details on coverage, concessions, and remaining issues still to be ironed out. Negotiations began on Wednesday and have been paused until the weekend, following a 45-minute meeting with his Canadian counterpart. The deal aims to reduce or eliminate tariffs on steel, aluminium, automobiles, and lumber, a move that has been a central focus of the US trade policy under the Trump administration. The US has been seeking concessions from Canada, including removing remaining retaliatory tariffs on American autos and adjusting dairy quotas to allow greater access for US cheese producers. It also asked for the ban on US alcohol sales, imposed last year by most Canadian provinces in retaliation to Trump’s tariffs, to be removed. Asked on Wednesday if the latest deal will include significant concessions on dairy, Minister LeBlanc stated that Canada’s dairy supply management program – which sees production quotas, set pricing, and import quotas on dairy, eggs, and poultry – will remain “entirely intact.” Polls suggest that a majority of Canadians would be unhappy if the Carney government made significant concessions to the US, with 56% surveyed by Leger saying they want Canada to take a hardline approach. However, business organizations from both sides of the border have urged for a deal to be reached, cautioning that additional tariffs between the two major trading partners would be harmful for both countries.”, 1530 words. 12 tags. 1 excerpt.
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Source: BBC News
