Canada’s minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade says conversations with American officials over steep tariffs remain “constructive,” but a resolution is still out of reach.
Appearing on Face the Nation Sunday, Dominic LeBlanc said Ottawa is hoping for progress in discussions on the 50 per cent tariff the U.S. has placed on Canadian aluminum; a move he said is backfiring on both economies.
“We hope so,” LeBlanc said when asked if the U.S. is open to negotiating. “But we’re not yet where we need to be to get a deal that’s in the best interests of the two economies.”
LeBlanc said the tariffs are driving up costs in deeply integrated sectors like auto manufacturing.
“Canadian aluminum companies massively supply the American market… You’ve increased the price of a whole series of goods,” he said. “We’re the biggest customer of U.S.-made automobiles… 50 per cent of the cars that we finish in Canada and sell to the United States are made up of American parts.”
While recognizing President Trump’s national security rationale, LeBlanc emphasized that Canada shares the same goal.
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When asked whether Prime Minister Mark Carney plans to speak directly with President Trump, LeBlanc said a conversation will likely take place “over the next number of days.”
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on the same program that the new tariffs will remain in place unless a deal is reached.
“Our view is the president is trying to fix the terms of trade with Canada,” he said, “and if there’s a way to a deal, we’ll find it, and if it’s not, we’ll have the tariff levels that we have.”
LeBlanc noted how Canada has passed its own One Canadian Economy Act, which he said could unlock up to $500 billion in investment for projects like pipelines, ports and mines, areas that “offer huge opportunities to American businesses as well.”
LeBlanc also addressed the U.S. decision to impose a 35 per cent tariff while talks were ongoing. “We were obviously disappointed by that decision,” he said. “We believe there’s a great deal of common ground between the United States and Canada in terms of building two strong economies that work well together.”
While the U.S. continues to respect the terms of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), LeBlanc said the integrated nature of the relationship means both sides benefit from cooperation.
“We don’t sell things to each other as much as we make things together,” he said.
When asked about past Canadian retaliation and whether pulling back might help move things forward, LeBlanc added that Carney’s relationship with Trump is “obviously very important to Canada and … to the United States.”
LeBlanc said Canada’s steel sector is crucial to its national security and its economy, just as it is in the U.S, and hopes to sustain those industries.
“We’re looking at advancing ideas where we can do work with the United States at the same time, ensure that our economy continues to have sectors vital to the economic future of Canada,” he said.
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