OTTAWA \u2014 Prime Minister Mark Carney took aim at the U.S. administration\u2019s list of trade irritants heading into the review of the Canada-United-States-Mexico-Agreement (CUSMA), noting Canada has a few of its own.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what\u2019s an irritant? 50 per cent tariff on steel, 50 per cent tariff on aluminum, 25 per cent tariff on automobiles, all the tariffs on forest products,\u201d said Carney, during a press conference in Ottawa.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose are more than irritants,\u201d he added. \u201cThose are violations of our trade deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
The existing CUSMA trade pact runs until 2036, but it includes a clause that allows the three countries to exit with six months\u2019 notice. The deal is set to be reviewed in July 2026. The Mexicans are currently further along in negotiations with the Americans, with the first official bilateral negotiating round set to take place in Mexico City in late May.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re ready to go into detailed negotiations,\u201d the prime minister said. \u201cWe\u2019re also ready to wait, if that\u2019s what has to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carney faced several questions on the state of trade talks with the U.S, following comments by United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Tuesday, that highlighted his administration\u2019s growing frustration with a U.S. alcohol ban in several Canadian provinces.<\/p>\n
Greer told a committee of lawmakers in Washington the administration is at the \u201cend of our rope in just asking for them to do this\u201d and said they may have to use an \u201cenforcement action\u201d to deal with the issue.<\/p>\n
The federal government has said the decision to keep U.S. alcohol off the shelves remains with the provinces. Currently all provinces, except for Alberta and Saskatchewan, have banned the sale of U.S. booze.<\/p>\n
Quebec Premier Christine Fr\u00e9chette was asked if she would consider lifting her province\u2019s ban.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe short answer is no,\u201d she said, during a press conference in Montreal on Thursday. \u201cI don\u2019t think that we should make concessions before having the discussions with our American partners.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a post on X, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said American alcohol \u201cwill only go back on shelves when the U.S. removes its tariffs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carney said he respects the premier\u2019s stance on the dispute.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got a majority, and he\u2019s taking a view\u2026by most indications, is supported by the vast majority of the population,\u201d said Carney.<\/p>\n
Speaking generally about the state of the Canada-U.S. trade relationship, the prime minister said there is a \u201cmisimpression\u201d that Canada is very reliant on the U.S.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, it is our biggest trading partner by far,\u201d said Carney. \u201cWe are also their second biggest trading partner, there is a symbiosis between the two.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carney added that he doesn\u2019t get up first thing in the morning \u201cthinking about the United States\u201d instead remaining focused on Canadians.<\/p>\n
Opposition parties took aim at Carney\u2019s trade strategy with the U.S.<\/p>\n
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told reporters on Wednesday that Carney squandered all of Canada\u2019s leverage going into the CUSMA review, by removing the digital sales tax and the retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods last summer.<\/p>\n
The opposition leader said Carney should not squander any more leverage when asked about the provincial U.S. alcohol.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut let\u2019s also focus on the reality that we\u2019re talking about 2.6 million Canadian jobs that could be ruptured if we don\u2019t get this right,\u201d said Poilievre. \u201cI don\u2019t think we need spend three or four days debating whether we should drink bourbon or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois Leader Yves-Fran\u00e7ois Blanchet said to \u201cplay the clock\u201d on negotiations may not be the best strategy, noting that waiting for U.S. President Donald Trump to lose at least one of the two chambers in congress during the midterms, may not translate into a stronger negotiating position for Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt might be a na\u00efve way to see the way Mr. Trump thinks or acts,\u201d he said, during a press conference in Ottawa. \u201cLet\u2019s use this opportunity to start a real negotiation.\u201d<\/p>\n
National Post<\/p>\n
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