U.S. President Donald Trump says Canada and the United States have “the concept of a very good deal” and are “very close” to reaching an agreement.
The Story
U.S. President Donald Trump said Canada and the United States have “the concept of a very good deal” and are “very close” to reaching a trade deal.
Speaking to reporters in Iowa on Sunday, Trump said the two countries had “been losing money for many years with Canada,” adding that he believes a deal would be beneficial for “our farmers” and “our country” and “fine for Canada too.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney said on social media Sunday that he had a “good conversation” with Trump about the future of trade between the two countries.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office said the leaders’ conversation took place on Saturday, and Carney said it builds on earlier discussions about what a mutually beneficial trade deal could look like.
Carney said such a deal would create jobs for workers, improve affordability for families, and respect Canada’s languages, culture and sovereignty, and he said “Our teams will now be working in the coming weeks to deliver that outcome.”
Trump also said on Sunday that the Keystone XL pipeline project is part of the negotiations, adding that Canada would pay for “all of it.”
In describing the project, Trump said, “We’re going to give them the route,” and that it is “largely been determined” for construction of the Keystone pipeline.
Carney, meanwhile, has previously said Canada was not yet in a position to reach a trade deal with Trump’s administration, including comments made on his way into a Liberal national caucus meeting on Parliament Hill on Wednesday.
On Sunday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre urged Carney to “get a great deal,” saying everyday Canadians can’t afford delays and that Carney has not yet delivered real results.
The comments come ahead of Tuesday’s U.S. midterm elections, with the Canada-U.S. trade dispute described as a key issue among some candidates.
The underlying dispute escalated in August, when trade talks collapsed and Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on a range of Canadian goods, banned imports of other Canadian products, and signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America.
← More stories