Canadian trade minister meets U.S. counterpart again as tariff deadline looms

Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s trade minister, is scheduled to sit down with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington on Tuesday, marking their third direct discussion within three weeks. The talks come as the United States prepares to impose 50 percent tariffs on roughly five percent of Canadian goods by Aug. 19, targeting items such as alcohol, hockey sticks and cement. LeBlanc’s earlier trip was aborted when severe weather forced his plane to return to Montreal, while senior negotiator Janice Charette spent the entire Monday meeting officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

In addition to trying to avert the new duties, the Canadian team is pressing for reductions on existing tariffs affecting steel, aluminum, lumber and autos. They also aim to negotiate an extension of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement after the U.S. declined to renew it in July. The U.S. has cited Canadian actions like provincial bans on U.S. alcohol and alleged discrimination against U.S. vehicles and dairy as part of its justification for the tariff threat.