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Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Canada’s chief trade negotiator Janice Charette met with U.S. President Donald Trump’s top trade envoy in Washington on Thursday.
LeBlanc was tight-lipped about his discussions with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer as he left the afternoon meeting, saying in French that he was happy to be in the U.S. capital.
The meeting was slated to only last 30 minutes, but LeBlanc was in the trade office for an hour and a half. It was the second time LeBlanc and Charette have sat down with Greer in as many weeks.
This latest sit-down comes after Prime Minister Mark Carney said trade talks would “intensify” after Trump threatened fresh tariffs on hundreds of Canadian imports starting Aug. 19.
WATCH | Trump and Carney on ‘nasty’ comment:
Trump calls Canada ‘nasty’ — and Carney responds
Prime Minister Mark Carney is responding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks after he called Canada — and its leadership — ‘nasty’ during a speech in Las Vegas Wednesday. Carney says ‘whatever adjective is used, yes, we’re standing up for Canadian workers, for Canadian businesses, as we always have.’
Carney said earlier this week that negotiators are focusing talks with their U.S. counterparts on “all strategic sectors,” including autos, as that new deadline approaches. The prime minister reiterated that position on Thursday.
“We’re interested in a more comprehensive deal, a global deal that addresses the strategic sectors,” he told reporters in Saguenay, Que.
“Will we get all of that by the 19th of August? We’ll see. But we want to have pathways in order to get that.”
WATCH | Carney needs to ‘focus on the results that he promised’ in trade talks, Poilievre says:
Carney needs to ‘focus on the results that he promised’ in trade talks with the U.S.: Poilievre
Speaking at a news conference in St. John’s, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he doesn’t ‘understand the strategy’ of making concessions ‘before even getting to the negotiating table’ with the United States. Poilievre said Prime Minister Mark Carney ‘isn’t holding out for a better deal. We have a bad deal.’
Last month, Carney said he’d spoken with Trump and the two leaders agreed to ramp up trade discussions.
Former Quebec premier Jean Charest, who serves on Carney’s Advisory Committee on Canada-U.S. Economic Relations, shed light on that phone call in an interview with CBC’s Power & Politics, saying it resulted in wider engagement from the U.S. administration in the latest round of talks.
“It’s a good sign that the whole of the administration is more engaged in these negotiations than they were before that phone call,” he told guest host Katie Simpson.
WATCH | Should Canada’s trade negotiators change tack?:
Should Canada’s trade negotiators change tack?
Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Wednesday that now is not the time to change course in tariff negotiations. His comments come as the minister responsible for U.S. trade, Dominic LeBlanc, is back in Washington to resume trade talks with numerous American politicians and stakeholders. Power & Politics hears from member of the Advisory Committee on Canada-U.S. Economic Relations Jean Charest.
Despite the ongoing talks, Trump took a jab at Canada on Wednesday night during a rally in Las Vegas.
“I love tariffs, right? Because we’ve been screwed by tariffs used against us for years. By China, by Japan, by South Korea, by Germany, by everybody, by Canada,” Trump said, as the crowd cheered.
“Canada’s nasty. They are. They’re nasty,” he added. “I love the people, but they’re nasty. Nasty leadership.”
Carney brushed off Trump’s comment when asked about it on Thursday.
“Whatever adjective is used, we’re standing up for Canadian workers, for Canadian businesses,” he said.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called out Carney’s handling of the tariff dispute during a news conference on Thursday, saying, “It’s time to get results.”
“We’re calling on him to take the leverage that he has not yet squandered, take it to the bargaining table and get something in return for a change,” Poilievre said.