U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer revealed that both U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will receive various “options” post the recent trade discussions between Canadian and U.S. trade officials on Thursday.
Greer emphasized that “options and discussions” will be presented to the president and the prime minister, shedding light on the progress of negotiations from the Trump administration’s standpoint.
Following the talks, Greer, in an exclusive interview with CBC News, described the meetings as “good” and “cordial.”
Greer mentioned in French, “We are going to speak with the president. I believe Canadian officials will speak with the prime minister.”
After the meeting, Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc affirmed his commitment to fulfilling the expectations of Canadians through his work.
LeBlanc refrained from specifying the exact number of future meetings with Greer, stating, “we’ll have as many meetings as it takes.”
Additionally, CBC News uncovered that LeBlanc is scheduled to update the federal government’s Advisory Committee on Canada-U.S. Economic Relations on the negotiation progress on Friday afternoon, according to sources familiar with the upcoming meeting.
The committee serves as a platform for members to devise strategies on how Canada should manage its economic ties with the U.S.
Furthermore, Louise Blais, Quebec’s envoy for the review of the CUSMA, stated during an interview with Radio-Canada that LeBlanc will brief provinces on Friday.
Both LeBlanc and chief trade negotiator Janice Charette met with Greer in the afternoon. This marks the second meeting this week between Canadian and American trade representatives and the fourth within three weeks.
The two parties have intensified discussions since Trump’s threat to impose a 50 per cent tariff on numerous Canadian goods, in addition to existing sectoral tariffs, scheduled to take effect on Aug. 19.
Following the afternoon meeting, Charette proceeded to continue discussions with her counterpart at the U.S. Trade Representative office late into the evening, as per a source informed CBC News.
