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OTTAWA \u2014 Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada will enter into formal discussions with the United States in January to review their free trade agreement.<\/p>\n
A statement late Thursday from the Prime Minister\u2019s Office says Internal Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc will meet with American counterparts to discuss the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade deal.<\/p>\n
He also confirmed the government intends to pursue additional trade agreements in the coming year, the statement said.<\/p>\n
It comes just hours after Carney met with provincial leaders to update them on trade talks with the U.S.<\/p>\n
The prime minister has said trade irritants flagged by the U.S. are elements of a \u201cmuch bigger discussion\u201d about continental trade.<\/p>\n
Carney says he sees \u201ctremendous benefits\u201d for Canada and the U.S. if they work co-operatively in key economic sectors.<\/p>\n
Washington\u2019s trade representative says a coming review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade deal, also known as CUSMA, will hinge on resolving concerns about Canadian policies on dairy products, alcohol and digital services.<\/p>\n
In a statement this week to a congressional committee, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the American side has concerns about access to Canada\u2019s dairy market and Canada\u2019s exports of certain dairy products.<\/p>\n
Greer also pointed to the effects of the Online Streaming Act and Online News Act on U.S. digital service providers, as well as procurement measures in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.<\/p>\n
He cited concerns about provincial bans on the distribution of American alcohol that were imposed in response to a barrage of U.S. tariffs on Canada following the re-election of President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
The United States also has a list of grievances about its trade with Mexico related to supply chains, energy policies and labour and environmental laws.<\/p>\n
Greer said his office will engage with Canada and Mexico to determine which issues can be addressed on a bilateral basis and which require the efforts of all three countries.<\/p>\n
Carney said Thursday that Canada has been clear about its intention to protect the supply management of agricultural products.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe continue to stand by that,\u201d he said at a news conference in Ottawa with Ontario Premier Doug Ford.<\/p>\n
Carney said Ottawa sees \u201ctremendous benefits\u201d for Canada and the United States in pooling resources where possible \u2014 for example, in the auto, steel, aluminum and forest product sectors.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will enter those discussions on the review of CUSMA In that spirit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Following Trump\u2019s 2024 U.S. election win, the White House expressed concern about the southbound flow of fentanyl and irregular migrants into the United States \u2014 criticism it used to justify tariffs against Canada.<\/p>\n
Carney hoped to forge a new economic and security partnership with Washington following the Liberals\u2019 general election victory in late April.<\/p>\n
Trump said in October he was halting trade talks with Canada over an anti-tariff ad aired in U.S. markets by the Ontario government.<\/p>\n
Carney said Thursday that Canada and the U.S. were close to an agreement at the time on sectoral tariff relief in multiple areas, including steel, aluminum and energy.<\/p>\n
The prime minister said he expects those talks to now roll into the broader CUSMA negotiation \u2014 but he left the door open to the resumption of more focused talks in these sectors.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the United States wants to come back on that in those areas, we\u2019re always ready there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Carney added that Canada is \u201cvery ready\u201d to strike an agreement on forest products with the United States, which is having \u201caffordability challenges, including in the housing sector.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can make an immediate difference to affordability in the United States to the benefit, yes, of Canadian workers, but also to American consumers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Ford stood by the decision to run the anti-tariff ad, saying it was viewed widely in the United States and calling it \u201cthe best ad that\u2019s ever been run.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m speaking for the people of Ontario. We\u2019re getting hit the most out of any single province in this entire country,\u201d Ford said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to sit back and roll over. I\u2019m going to continue fighting to make sure we get a fair deal with the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a92025 The Canadian Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n