Trump's trade rep sounds pessimistic about deal with Canada, saying issues are 'quite difficult to resolve'
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speaks during the second day of the G20 Trade Ministerial Conference at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee on Thursday. (Kamil Krzaczynski/Getty Images)Social SharingU.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer says he regularly speaks with his Canadian counterpart, but the two sides have reached an impasse on some trade irritants and there's no sign of a resolution any time soon.
Speaking to reporters at the G20 meeting of trade ministers in Milwaukee, Greer sounded pessimistic about the prospect of a deal with the Canadians saying while "technical talks" are ongoing between trade experts from both countries there are some fundamental disagreements.
"The reality is there are a handful of outstanding issues that are quite difficult to resolve," Greer said.
Greer said the Trump administration's policy of imposing tariffs on foreign manufactured goods to try to "reindustrialize" America is a universal one and not "focused on one country."
Canada, meanwhile, maintains that punishing tariffs on industrial products like steel, aluminum and autos make no sense given just how integrated the two economies are after decades of free trade.
The federal government has strenuously opposed U.S. tariffs designed to decimate those key Canadian sectors, saying it's no way to treat a supposed ally. Plus, Canada is America's biggest customer, purchasing more American-exported goods than any other country.
Still, Greer said Canada and other countries treat the United States as "a dumping ground" for their products and the U.S. just wants to produce more of what it consumes domestically. He added that these policies shouldn't be read as "threats against Canada" alone.
Despite Greer's claims that these tariff policies are boosting industrial employment, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics compiled by the Economic Policy Institute shows that some some, 62,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost since Trump took office for his second term in January 2025.
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International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu, who is responsible for non-U.S. trade, met with Greer while in Wisconsin.
The conversation was focused primarily on wider world trade issues like ending forced labour and the phenomenon of some countries like China dumping heavily state-subsidized products into market economies.
But the Canada-U.S. dispute did come up, Sidhu said in an interview with CBC News.
He said he stressed to Greer that the two countries need to "find a way to work together, especially for our auto supply workers."
"I think there is energy from both sides," Sidhu said, calling it a "very cordial conversation."
"But we want a good deal," he said. "We won't accept anything less."
Speaking earlier Thursday to Bloomberg News from the summit, Greer seemed to downplay President Donald Trump's assertion this week that the Canadians would come calling for a deal and that something could come together within a month.
"You've heard the president talk about this. Most recently he said, 'Well, we may have a deal with Canada in a few weeks.' I'd emphasize the 'may' in that part of the situation," Greer said.
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Greer reiterated that the U.S. is open to a deal with Canada, but he suggested Prime Minister Mark Carney and his negotiators can't accept what the Americans are offering.
"The question is does Canada want to get to 'yes' on some of these things. We have a trade policy where we're not inclined to go to zero tariffs because we're trying to reshore," he said. "Gaps remain between Canada and the United States."
Greer attends the first day of the G20 Trade Ministerial Conference in Milwaukee on Wednesday. (Kamil Krzacysnki/Getty Images)Those "gaps" became apparent when Canada-U.S. trade talks collapsed in August, with Carney pulling his negotiators back from Washington after what he described as a series of last-minute American changes that weren't workable for Canada.
Canada was concerned about U.S. tariffs on medium- and heavy-duty trucks, which could have made a GM plant in Oshawa, Ont., that produces Chevrolet Silverados uncompetitive and imperiled the planned production of FordΒ F-250s in Oakville, Ont.
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Carney also said he couldn't accept language in the proposed deal that could have compromised Canada's sovereignty, namely provisions he described as limiting the government's ability to make trade deals with other countries.
U.S. opposition to Canadian policies designed to promote the "discoverability" of French-language programming on streaming services was also an issue, Carney has said.
While Greer seemingly backed down from U.S. demands on French-language content in an interview with CBC News, no apparent progress has been made on those other issues in the weeks since the bilateral talks imploded.
Carney said this week he thinks it's possible to negotiate a "mutually advantageous trade arrangement" with the U.S. at some point in the future.
"Canada stands ready to negotiate in good faith," he said.
J.P. Tasker is a journalist in CBC's parliamentary bureau who reports for digital, radio and television. He is also a regular panellist on CBC News Network's Power & Politics. He covers the Conservative Party, Canada-U.S. relations, the Crown in Canada, health policy and the Senate. You can send story ideas and tips to J.P. at jp.tasker@cbc.ca
