U.S. President Donald Trump announced late on Tuesday he was putting a three-day pause on new 50 per cent tariffs set to go into effect on Canadian goods at midnight, saying the two countries had reached a deal.
An hour later, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement that “substantial progress has been made, although there is important work still to be done.”
Trump said in his post on Truth Social that he paused the tariffs “based on the fact that Canada and the U.S.A., subject to the finalization of documents, have a DEAL.”
Trump and Carney spoke on Tuesday afternoon, their second conversation this week, and their negotiators have been involved in weeks of intense, opaque talks.
“While we continue this work, Canada remains focused on building a stronger, more independent and more competitive economy at home,” Carney said in his statement.
White House says Canada will remove discriminatory treatment of alcohol, cheese
Negotiators from both countries met again on Wednesday. The Canadian minister responsible for U.S. trade, Dominic LeBlanc, and Canada’s chief trade negotiator Janice Charette met U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, LeBlanc’s office said in a statement.
Trump hailed what he called a great deal subject to the finalization of documents that would mean U.S. manufacturers and farmers would not pay any tariffs to export their goods to Canada.
It is unclear whether auto tariffs will be resolved this week or delayed until a broader scheduled review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal, which looks set to drag on into next year.
A White House proclamation said senior U.S. officials had been told Canada had committed to remove what Washington considers discriminatory or unequal treatment of U.S. alcoholic beverages, cheese and motor vehicles.
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