OTTAWA — Details are starting to emerge about a trade deal between Canada and the U.S. that both sides are putting the finishing touches on.
On Tuesday, word came that the midnight Aug. 19 deadline to reach a deal to avoid 50 per cent tariffs on a number of items had been extended until the end of the day on Aug. 21.
Earlier Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters they had a "deal" with Canada on trade. He told reporters Canada "gave us the points we want to have" and that tariffs "would be non-existent for our farmers … those are totally eviscerated down to zero."
"Basically we have no tariffs going into Canada anymore," Trump told reporters.
In the meantime, talks between the two countries continue in Washington, D.C. In a post on the X platform Wednesday morning, Minister for Canada-U.S. Trade Dominic LeBlanc provided this update on the talks:
"The Chief Trade Negotiator and I met this morning with United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington, D.C. We are working collaboratively towards a finalized agreement between our two countries. Efforts remain ongoing."
Speaking to reporters in D.C., LeBlanc indicated the supply management regime was being protected. He told reporters that they "needed to ensure" the supply management regime remained entirely intact and said he was "confident" that was the case.
In a post on the X platform, Prime Minister Mark Carney had this to say about the state of talks:
"Congratulations, Minister LeBlanc and Ambassador Greer, for the significant progress in the Canada-United States trade negotiations. Canada entered these discussions with the best overall trade terms. We are now moving towards an agreement that reinforces that Canadian advantage, including by securing the best terms in each of Canada’s most important strategic sectors and providing greater certainty about our future trading relationship."
