Canada’s LeBlanc Will Head to Washington for Trade Talks
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Dominic LeBlanc, the Canadian cabinet minister leading U.S. trade talks, will travel to Washington to meet with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick just days after Canada pledged to remove most of its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods.
“We are looking, I hope, for an agreement that will put us in a better position than we are right now,” LeBlanc said Aug. 25 in a French-language radio interview on Canada’s public broadcaster.
LeBlanc said the two sides have discussed “circumstances that are very interesting for the American government,” without providing further details. But in exchange, Canada would need to see improvements in its trade situation with the U.S., he added.
The minister is flying to Washington on the night of Aug. 25 and the meeting will take place in the coming days, his office said.
On Aug. 22, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Canada wouldremove its counter-tariffson a long list of U.S. goods that comply with the existing North American trade deal. That retaliation had been in place since March, imposed by then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Lutnick had pressed the Canadian government to remove those counter-tariffs before further progress could be made on trade talks, Bloomberg News has reported.
Carney did not remove all of Canada’s retaliation. Canada will still have 25% import taxes on U.S. steel and aluminum products, as well as some tariffs on U.S. cars and trucks. President Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on all of those sectors.
RELATED:Trump, Carney Hold First Call Since Tariff Escalation
LeBlanc believes dropping some of Canada’s retaliation will help open a path for a broader agreement on trade with the Trump administration, hetold Bloomberg Televisionon Aug. 22. That includes laying the groundwork for a potential renegotiation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which is due for a joint review next year.
However, Canada has so far received no indication Trump is ready to lower his tariffs on foreign-produced steel and aluminum, which are currently set at 50%, LeBlanc said.
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