US President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States would likely not reach an agreed trade deal with Canada, suggesting that his administration could unilaterally impose tariffs. This was reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
Details
Speaking to reporters before flying to Scotland, Trump said: "We're not doing very well with Canada. I think it might be a case where it's just tariffs, not some kind of negotiation."
Both countries are trying to conclude a trade agreement by August 1 – from this day on, Washington threatens to impose a 35% tariff on all Canadian goods not covered by the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA).
Mark Carney's office (Canada's representative) has not yet commented on the situation. Canadian officials are increasingly admitting that the likelihood of reaching an agreement by August 1 is very low.
Dominic LeBlanc, the federal minister responsible for trade relations with the US, told reporters in Washington after two days of negotiations:
"We have made some progress, but there is still a lot of work ahead."
According to him, Canada will take as much time as needed to achieve the most favorable agreement.
Last week, Carney also noted that Canada would likely not be able to convince the US to completely lift all sanctions.