Canada-U.S. trade talks have restarted. Here's what's at stake
Listen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.For the first time since U.S. President Donald Trump called off negotiations last October — ostensibly over a TV ad — Prime Minister Mark Carney's point man on trade met face to face with his White House counterpart.Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc was in Washington, D.C., on Friday to meet U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. When LeBlanc emerged from the meeting, CBC News asked him what happened in the talks, but his only comment before getting into a waiting vehicle was "Have a good weekend." In a statement Friday afternoon, LeBlanc's office described the discussion as "constructive and substantive." The meeting comes at a pivotal moment for the $1.3-trillion Cdn annual trading relationship between the two countries.While Trump continues to impose punishing tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, automobiles, softwood lumber, copper products, kitchen cabinets and more, the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) is up for renegotiation. The timing means Canada's efforts to get rid of those tariffs targeting key industrial sectors will be wrapped into the CUSMA talks.That gives the U.S. negotiating leverage for the many changes it wants made to the trade deal, including greater access to Canada's dairy market and an end to rules that force U.S. streaming platforms to run Canadian content and fund domestic production.Dominic LeBlanc, minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, speaks to reporters at the Canadian Embassy in Washington on Oct. 7, 2025. He's due back in the U.S. capital on Friday to resume trade talks with his White House counterpart. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)Hovering over the talks: U.S. threats to impose new tariffs to replace the ones struck down two weeks ago by the U.S. Supreme Court, to break up CUSMA into separate deals with Canada and Mexico, and to terminate the agreement — a move that could expose all Canadian exports to Trump's blanket tariffs.Tariffs will be part of whatever trade deal is negotiated with Canada, Greer told the CBC's Katie Simpson last month on the night of Trump's state of the union address.Despite that, the fact that Greer and LeBlanc are now holding face-to-face talks is significant, said Eric Miller, a Canada-U.S. trade expert and president of Rideau Potomac Strategy Group, a Washington-based consulting firm."This is something which I think is a very positive sign," Miller told CBC News on Thursday.Trump cancelled talks with Canada over the steel and aluminum tariffs after an Ontario government advertisement featuring an anti-tariff speech by the late Ronald Reagan aired during U.S. broadcasts of baseball's World Series last fall,Since then, Trump has threatened to:He has yet to follow through on any of those threats.WATCH | Tariffs will be part of any deal with Canada, says Trump's trade rep:U.S. trade envoy Jamieson Greer says Canada needs to accept increased tariffs as part of any trade deal with the Trump administration, including a possible renewal of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).Miller said the resumption of talks now means the U.S. needs to start providing Canada with some specifics of what it wants from the CUSMA negotiations, putting Canada in a better position to respond."Of course, Canada will have views on all of those issues and will be looking to preserve as much of the agreement as possible," he said.LeBlanc arrives in Washington with new Carney-appointed leadership steering the negotiations with the White House. The prime minister named Janice Charette, who served as head of Canada's public service during both the Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau governments, to be Canada's chief trade negotiator with the U.S.Mark Wiseman, a global investment banker, pension fund manager and friend of Carney, is Canada's new ambassador in Washington.Both posts were held by Kirsten Hillman until she stepped down last month.
