US-Canada trade deal inches toward finalisation
Canada and the United States are reportedly close to finalising a trade agreement that promises to lift or reduce tariffs on a wide range of products. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney have hailed the negotiations as a success, though the deal’s exact terms remain unconfirmed.
During a second‑day meeting on Wednesday, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told reporters the talks moved forward “very happily,” and that the United States will soon brief Congress with the full details. He added that the agreement would protect American farmers, manufacturers, supply chains and strengthen the North American economy.
What is known so far is that Canada has agreed to remove the last of its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, particularly those that affect U.S. farmers. In return, the United States wants Canada to ease its tariffs on steel, aluminium, automobiles and lumber, roll back certain dairy import quotas, and lift a ban on American alcohol sales that has been in place in most Canadian provinces.
The deal also appears to soften a number of the “irritants” that have fanned trade tensions in recent months, however senior Canadian officials say the government will keep Canada’s dairy‑management program intact and warn that the country will not make significant concessions that would upset its constituents.
Polls indicate that a majority of Canadians would oppose any major concessions to the United States, with 56 percent surveyed by Leger expressing a desire for a hard‑line approach.
With business groups on both sides of the border urging a completion of the agreement, the United States and Canada may finally end a period of uncertainty that has threatened their trade relationship.
