Latest news with #Canada-UnitedStates-MexicoAgreement
Winnipeg Free Press
15 hours ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
NDP says government needs to be more transparent in trade talks with the U.S.
OTTAWA – The NDP's interim NDP leader is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to honour the government's commitment to table information about any U.S. trade talks in the House of Commons. The request from Don Davies comes ahead of this month's meeting of G7 leaders, where Carney will once again meet with U.S. President Donald Trump and the two will continue to work out a new new economic and security relationship between the two countries. A letter from Davies to Carney, dated May 29, says the NDP is concerned the government has entered 'preliminary' discussions with the Trump administration about renegotiating the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, which is up for review next year. Davies writes that in Feb. 2020, then deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland committed to tabling notice of intent for trade talks in the House at least 90 days before they begin, sharing talk objectives at least 30 days before negotiations start, and providing an economic impact assessment alongside implementation legislation. Davies says there's no indication these steps are currently being followed. In a May 27 interview with CBC's 'Power & Politics,' Carney said there needs to be more progress on the U.S. tariff issue before trade talks can begin. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2025.
Global News
16 hours ago
- Business
- Global News
Is Canada-U.S. trade ‘progress' possible in 2 weeks? Ontario rep says ‘yes'
Provincial and federal negotiators are making progress with the Trump administration on lowering U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs on Canada, Ontario's trade representative in Washington says, suggesting a deal could be close at hand. David Paterson said he's hopeful that further progress in reducing those tariffs can be made by the time Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney are face-to-face at the G7 Leader's Summit in Alberta in two weeks. Asked by Mercedes Stephenson during an interview that aired Sunday on The West Block if he's getting the sense from Republican lawmakers that the White House is open to such a quick timeline, Paterson said, 'Yes.' 'You have a choice of either engaging — and that's what we do in Washington — and trying to make progress, or sit back and wait for some kind of perfect deal, and I think that could take a long time,' he said. Story continues below advertisement 'We are now in a world where the formal trade agreements that we like to count on as being enforceable is now turning much more into a world where countries have to protect themselves.' Trade negotiations have continued despite a whiplash week that saw a U.S. court briefly block the emergency orders used to justify many of Trump's tariffs on Canada and most of America's trading partners. 2:00 U.S. appeals court spares Trump's tariffs — for now After a U.S. appeals court stayed the U.S. Court of International Trade's ruling as it reviews the Trump administration's challenge, Paterson said the world remains 'in much of the same position.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The ruling did not affect tariffs on the steel, aluminum and auto sectors that have hit Ontario particularly hard. 'Many people have hoped that we would see the courts intervene on tariffs, many have hoped that the Congress would step up, but hope is not a strategy,' Paterson said. Story continues below advertisement 'You need to keep on focusing on the things that are impacting your economy.' Paterson says the bilateral talks with the U.S. on lowering tariffs can be separate from the broader renegotiation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement on free trade (CUSMA) set to begin next year. In the short term, however, he says Canada needs to secure its position as a key trading partner as other nations jockey for their own deals. 'Right now there's one game that is available for people, and you have Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Vietnam — all these are in Washington trying to do bilateral deals to improve their trade situation,' he said. The United Kingdom has already secured a framework trade agreement with the U.S. that Paterson says serves as both an example of what Canada could achieve for itself and an incentive to get a deal done that ensures its 'relative competitive advantage.' 'Suddenly we find ourselves in a situation where a vehicle from the United Kingdom now has a lower tariff coming into the United States than a Chevrolet made in Ontario. That doesn't make any sense,' he said. 'That's one of the discussion points that we have. 'We need to make more progress. We, as the signers of the CUSMA agreement, surely should have the best access to the United States market than everyone.' Story continues below advertisement 1:49 Carney meets with U.S. delegation in Ottawa Paterson said part of the mission he and others have undertaken is to educate the Trump administration on the important role Canada plays as one of the largest trading partners for the U.S. A majority of U.S. states do more trade with Canada than any other nation. 'You may hear the president say, 'I don't need your cars, I don't need your natural resources.' The truth is they do, and we know they do and they know they do,' Paterson said. 'So that makes for a really good set-up for us in terms of being able to make progress.' While Trump has continued with that dismissive rhetoric, Paterson said talks have gone very well with Republican lawmakers he hopes can make the case to the president and the administration. 'We've probably talked to 100 Republican senators and members (of the U.S. House of Representatives) over the last year — I certainly have not had a bad meeting with any of them. They love Canada,' he said. Story continues below advertisement 'But they are giving the president, who won the election, the time to be able to take forward this agenda that he's doing. They're not pushing back on that in any meaningful way.' Paterson pointed to last week's trip to Ottawa by a delegation of U.S. senators, led by Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, as the most recent public example of American officials recognizing Canada's importance. 'A big thing that they understand and that we remind them is, 'We're your biggest supplier and we're your biggest customer. So put us first in line and in your own self-interest, let's get these tariffs down and start getting some certainty into the economy,' he said. 'That is a message that I think is really resonating in Congress and is really resonating increasingly even with people in the White House.'
Montreal Gazette
3 days ago
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
Quebec businesses say U.S. tariff ruling ‘not a victory yet'
By Quebec business groups say a U.S. court decision striking down some of President Donald Trump's tariffs is a good sign, but that Canada now needs to focus on negotiations to address other tariffs on major exports. The U.S. trade court's Wednesday decision — which was temporarily halted by an appeal court Thursday afternoon as the administration appeals the ruling — found the president didn't have the authority to impose two sets of tariffs using emergency powers. That includes tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China that the administration said were imposed on the grounds that those countries weren't doing enough curb the movement of fentanyl, as well as so-called reciprocal tariffs on nearly every other country in the world that were related to trade deficits. The ruling does not apply to tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum, or vehicles, which were introduced using other powers. 'This ruling is good news, it shows that the tariffs that were imposed were not based on law, on how we do our economic relations between Canada and the U.S.,' said Julie White, the president and CEO of Manufacturiers & Exportateurs du Québec. 'But, it's not over, the American administration is going to appeal and we still have a lot of steps to do with the American administration on the renegotiation of the (Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement).' While manufacturers who were affected by the tariffs can breathe a little easier, White said, there is still a climate of uncertainty around trade with the U.S., which has pushed Quebec businesses to put investments and other projects on hold. 'It's good news, but it's not a victory yet,' White said, adding that she wants to see the federal government — which has not yet appointed a negotiator — prepare for trade negotiations with the U.S. and that businesses need to continue looking for other markets, a process that will take time. Trump had already suspended the tariffs struck down by the Court of International Trade on Canadian goods that comply with the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement. With tariffs remaining on steel and aluminum, as well as pre-existing tariffs on softwood lumber, Véronique Proulx, the president and CEO of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec, said Wednesday's decision will have little immediate effect on her organization's members. 'It sends a positive signal, a positive signal that the president can't evoke emergency measures to put unjustified tariffs in place and that there are institutions in the United States that are impartial and who clearly see that, once again, these tariff decisions were not justified,' she said, 'But in concrete terms, for our businesses, this has little impact on their day-to-day operations.' Proulx said she hopes Prime Minister Mark Carney and his government recognize that the tariff war with the U.S. isn't over and that finding a solution needs to be a priority. Two lawsuits led to the ruling by the New York-based federal trade court. One was filed by a group of small businesses, including a wine importer, V.O.S. Selections, whose owner has said the tariffs are having a major impact and his company may not survive. The other was filed by a dozen states, led by Oregon, who argued the tariffs interfered with their ability to engage in procurement and government contracts. The core issue in the case was presidential power, said Raj Bhala, a professor at the University of Kansas School of Law who has written extensively on international trade law. The law used to impose the tariffs, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, allows the president to respond to an 'unusual and extraordinary threat' that's at least partially coming from outside the country, but the court found that fentanyl, trade deficits and illegal immigration weren't unusual and extraordinary, Bhala said in an interview. The court also found that the president exceeded his authority under that law to regulate imports. But Bhala, who thinks the case will likely end up at the Supreme Court, said the president may have some good arguments against the ruling, including those based on a theory that the courts don't have the right to impede his authority to deal with national security threats. 'I think one of the most foolish moves a foreign government could make is to say, 'ha, ha Trump is weakened, we don't have to worry about this, this is not a problem, it's going to go away, the U.S. courts will take care of it.' No, I would keep negotiating,' said Bhala, a dual Canadian and U.S. citizen. Even if the ruling is upheld on appeal, the president has other powers to levy tariffs and Congress may pass legislation specifically authorizing the struck-down tariffs, Bhala said, adding that protectionism has proven popular with American voters. 'Don't gloat over this seeming victory, it may not last,' he said.
National Observer
16-05-2025
- Business
- National Observer
US ambassador and Trump's former presidential rival will speak in Ottawa
Global business leaders and diplomats will converge on Ottawa today in an attempt to chart a path through the United States' tariff war. The B7 conference in the nation's capital is a partner event to the G7 summit set for next month in Alberta. This year's conference is tackling trade uncertainty as US President Donald Trump attempts to overturn the global trading order with his tariffs. Among those speaking today in Ottawa are US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra and Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina who was Trump's rival for the Republican presidential nomination. Attendees are also expected to talk about developing artificial intelligence responsibly and protecting supplies of critical minerals, two sectors where Canada is looking to build its presence. The head of the US Chamber of Commerce said ahead of today's events that trade is the "foundation" of relationships among the G7 and urged stronger commercial ties within the group. Stronger ties has been a recurring theme of conversations between Prime Minister Mark Carney and his international counterparts following his recent election win. Carney spoke with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday, with the Prime Minister's Office saying they discussed "building on the strong trade relationship between the two countries, grounded in the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, and the imperative to strengthen their respective economies against future shocks." His office said in a statement that the leaders have tasked senior officials with finding ways to deepen bilateral relations. Carney also spoke on Thursday with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, discussing trade and international security.
Hamilton Spectator
16-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
U.S. ambassador and Trump's former presidential rival to speak in Ottawa
OTTAWA - Global business leaders and diplomats will converge on Ottawa today in an attempt to chart a path through the United States' tariff war. The B7 conference in the nation's capital is a partner event to the G7 summit set for next month in Alberta. This year's conference is tackling trade uncertainty as U.S. President Donald Trump attempts to overturn the global trading order with his tariffs. Among those speaking today in Ottawa are U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra and Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina who was Trump's rival for the Republican presidential nomination. Attendees are also expected to talk about developing artificial intelligence responsibly and protecting supplies of critical minerals, two sectors where Canada is looking to build its presence. The head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said ahead of today's events that trade is the 'foundation' of relationships among the G7 and urged stronger commercial ties within the group. Stronger ties has been a recurring theme of conversations between Prime Minister Mark Carney and his international counterparts following his recent election win. Carney spoke with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday, with the Prime Minister's Office saying they discussed 'building on the strong trade relationship between the two countries, grounded in the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, and the imperative to strengthen their respective economies against future shocks.' His office said in a statement that the leaders have tasked senior officials with finding ways to deepen bilateral relations. Carney also spoke on Thursday with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, discussing trade and international security. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2025.
