Dominic LeBlanc says Canada isn't the 'source of any delays' on trade talks with U.S.

OTTAWA — Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said that Canada “certainly won’t be the source of any delays” for the review of Canada’s trade deal with the United States, despite warnings from the U.S. trade representative that it might not meet the deadline.

LeBlanc said that proposals and talks with the U.S. have been constructive and at this point, it is a waiting game for Canada.

The Canada-United States-Mexica Agreement (CUSMA) requires a joint review starting on July 1, as prescribed when it was created, however, there is no “drop dead date,” LeBlanc said following a committee meeting on Parliament Hill on Thursday.

When asked by Conservative MP Jason Groleau about when trade negotiations will be resolved, he said he can’t give an exact timeline but remains optimistic that Canada’s resources will always be in demand from the country’s trade partners.

LeBlanc also said he has no intention to disrupt supply management when reviewing the agreement.

The government wants to resolve trade tensions with the Trump administration through a full agreement. “We are not prepared to deal with these things as a one-off,” LeBlanc said.

During a discussion at the Hudson Institute last week, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said it was unlikely that the U.S. would resolve its issues with Canada ahead of the July 1 deadline, when the review is scheduled to start, but that “we are on track to resolve many of them and to move as quickly as we can.” The deadline is when the United States must let Canada and Mexico know if it wants a negotiation or to reopen trade deals, but Greer also must advise Congress by June on whether to extend CUSMA or pursue change in the arrangement.

If there is no agreement between the three parties about this year’s review, then the agreement will continue for another ten years with annual reviews.

National Post

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here.