Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he had a "good conversation" with US President Donald Trump about the future of trade relations between the two countries. He said the conversation created new momentum for negotiations that were suspended in August.
Carney said the conversation built on discussions on the outlines of a possible mutually beneficial trade agreement. "Our teams will work in the coming weeks to achieve this outcome," the Canadian prime minister wrote. He said the agreement should create jobs, reduce costs for families and protect Canada's languages, culture and sovereignty.
The talks were suspended in August
Canada withdrew from formal talks in August after Carney said Washington made last-minute demands that affected Canadian sovereignty, the protection of the French language and the auto industry.
After the talks were suspended, the Trump administration imposed 50 percent tariffs on about $20 billion in Canadian goods. Ottawa responded with retaliatory tariffs on American products. The talks have since resumed, but progress has been uneven, the Associated Press reported.
Among the issues under discussion is a possible easing of U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and cars. However, no specific parameters of a possible deal have been announced yet.
Deal before the election not yet confirmed
In late October, Carney said that Canada and the United States were not yet ready to reach an agreement before the US midterm elections on November 3. His new statement indicates that both sides expect work on the treaty to continue after the vote.
President Donald Trump had not commented publicly on the conversation at the time of publication. Canadian Conservative Leader Pierre Poiliever called on the government to reach a “great deal” and said it was time for Carney to present real results.
The new round of talks is taking place days before the Canadian government presents its budget on November 5. There is currently no information on when exactly the next official round of negotiations will take place or whether it will lead to the signing of an agreement.
Sources: apnews.com, globalnews.ca