Ottawa/CMEDIA: Canada-US trade negotiations are at an “intense phase” ahead of Friday’s deadline to reach an agreement, Prime Minister Mark Carney reportedly said Monday.
“[Canadians] don’t deserve the uncertainty that’s been thrust upon them… they want the right kind of resolution. They want a deal that makes sense for Canada…The negotiations are at an intense phase, it’s a complex negotiation,” Carney said during a news conference in Prince County, P.E.I.
“We haven’t really had a lot of luck with Canada…I think Canada could be one where there’s just a tariff, not really a negotiation,” Trump told reporters Friday outside the White House in response to a question about the state of tariff talks with U.S. trading partners.
Negotiating between the US and Canada to reach some sort of trade agreement by Friday followed Trump’s imposition of tariffs on a number of Canadian goods with more to come by the deadlinem said Trump.
It’s unclear if the two countries will stick to the Aug. 1 deadline for wrapping up talks.
President Dan Kelly, Canadian Federation of Independent Business said that irrespective of whether a deal is announced Friday or later, “a good chunk” of trade must remain tariff-free in order for talks to be considered successful,
The goal should be to aim for zero tariffs on products that are currently protected under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.
Although a zero-tariff outcome is unlikely, bringing down the rate should be a priority of the federal government, Catherine Fortin Lefaivre, senior vice-president of international policy and global partnerships for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce said.
Earlier this month The president threatened Carney with a 35 percent tariff on goods that don’t comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA, and that rate would as well apply to Canadian exports currently being tariffed at 25 percent.
Kelly said Canadian business leaders should also be on the lookout for those levies that remain on imports from the U.S., noting Canada’s ongoing retaliatory tariffs “are really crippling small businesses even more than the U.S. tariffs,” but added many just want “a conclusion to this ugly chapter in Canadian-U.S. relations.”
Carney said in recent weeks that an agreement with the Americans may include accepting some levies on exports.
“The United States and Canada can do many good things together. We have done that in the past, we can do more in the future but on fair terms for our country,” Carney added.
