U.S.-Canada trade talks ‘very close’ to deal
Top White House official says negotiations ‘gathering steam’
‘I think it’s very close to finally having a deal on that,’ Kevin Hassett, the White House National Economic Council director, said on Fox News. ANNA MONEYMAKER / GETTY IMAGES / TNS FILES
TOP White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said U.S.-Canada trade negotiations have “picked up” and are “gathering steam,” two days after the Trump administration modified Canadian tariffs to benefit some Maine businesses following lobbying by Senator Susan Collins.
“I think it’s very close to finally having a deal on that,” Hassett, the White House National Economic Council director, said on Fox News’ The Sunday Briefing, adding that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick “has been talking to his Canadian counterparts all week.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Wednesday that he had spoken with U.S. President Donald Trump and addressed the trade talks. Carney said he’s “ready to sit down and negotiate when the U.S. is” but for “a deal that’s in the interests of Canadians.”
Talks have picked up between Lutnick and Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s minister responsible for the negotiations with the U.S., in recent weeks and are ongoing, a U.S. official said Sunday, who said prospects remain unclear since the U.S. doesn’t believe Canada is offering enough yet. The president will only approve a deal that is good for the U.S., said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive talks.
Trump also struck an upbeat tone on Sunday, telling Detroit’s Fox 2 channel that “we’re getting close to a deal, and a deal could happen that’s going to be very good for everybody.” He said to expect a deal in “probably a couple of months,” then added it “could be before the actual election.”
Trump commented while campaigning Sunday in Michigan, a battleground and border state in the Nov. 3 midterm elections where the tariff war with Canada has weighed on the Republican Party.
Canada “remains in constructive dialogue” with the U.S. on tariffs, LeBlanc’s office said in a statement Sunday. “We stand ready to work constructively and in good faith towards a more mutually beneficial trading relationship that respects Canada’s interests.”
The White House has said it’s exempting some Canadian products from tariffs and adding duties to others, an effort to boost Collins’ campaign to keep her U.S. Senate seat in Maine.
“President Trump has put the citizens of Maine first,” Hassett said on Sunday.
The U.S. will remove 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian plywood, bleached paper, cartons and specialized machinery for agriculture, Collins said Friday, saying it will help the state’s rural and coastal economy. The move came after the negotiations over a U.S.-Canada tariff deal imploded in August and the countries announced a series of retaliatory measures.
On the Fox News show Sunday, Hassett said helping Maine and Alaska fisheries has been “almost above everything else that we’ve done at the National Economic Council,” an unusually candid explanation of White House priorities ahead of the midterms.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture created its first-ever Office of Seafood in April and the administration unveiled a broader “America First Seafood Strategy” on Friday.
Collins, a Republican in a competitive re-election race, has touted her ability to secure tariff reductions that affect Maine consumers and businesses. The Democratic candidate, Troy Jackson, said on Friday in a social media post that Collins “wants credit for bringing a cup of water to put out the fire,” contending that she only acted because she is at risk of losing her seat.
Trump exempted road salt and other products from the tariffs last month, following a request from Collins, at the same time that he announced a series of retaliatory measures after the U.S.-Canada talks had collapsed. Canada also amended its own retaliatory duties to remove seafood products.
— Bloomberg News