Canadian and US officials resumed trade negotiations on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump paused threatened 50 percent tariffs on nearly $30 billion worth of Canadian goods.
Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington at around 11:15 AM ET, according to the minister’s spokesperson.
The meeting comes after Trump delayed the tariffs for three days, saying negotiations had produced a breakthrough.
In a proclamation, Trump said the pause followed Canada’s commitment to “remove discriminations or unreasonable and unequal impositions” involving US autos, dairy and liquor.
Trump later said on social media there was a “deal” with Canada. However, Prime Minister Mark Carney said only that “substantial progress” had been made and cautioned that “there is important work still to be done.”
“While we continue this work, Canada remains focused on building a stronger, more independent, and more competitive economy at home,” Carney said.
Details of any agreement remain unclear, with neither government releasing documents outlining potential concessions.
Outstanding issues include Canada’s retaliatory tariffs, dairy quotas and restrictions on U.S. liquor.
Ottawa is also seeking relief from existing US tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminium, autos and lumber.
