U.S.-Canada trade negotiations continue, striving to reach agreement before tariff deadline

The chief trade negotiators of the United States and Canada met in Washington for the third consecutive day today, striving to finalize a trade agreement before the new tariffs threatened by the United States take effect on the 22nd.

Reuters reported that as negotiations continued, U.S. President Trump said he expected the United States and Canada to reach an agreement, but did not disclose details. He also said that the United States has begun negotiating a trade agreement with Mexico.

"I've dealt with the prime minister and we have a good relationship... the Canadian deal is going very well and we should be able to make a deal with Canada," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, referring to Canadian Prime Minister Carney.

Once the United States and Canada reach an agreement, it will help ease 18 months of tense relations. This wave of tensions began when Trump imposed tariffs on major Canadian imports, and the Ottawa government subsequently adopted a series of countermeasures.

Trump said that if the two sides fail to reach an agreement, an additional 50% tariff will be imposed on Canadian goods worth approximately US$20 billion starting at 12:01 a.m. EST on the 22nd.

Canadian Minister Dole Blanc, who is responsible for trade with the United States, met with U.S. Trade Representative Greer for more than three hours on the 20th. Doleblanc said after the meeting that the two sides were "very close" to reaching a trade agreement, but there was still some work to be done.

However, even if an agreement is reached, Carney may have difficulty explaining to the domestic people and the governors of the 10 provinces. A poll released by the polling agency Leger on the 19th showed that 56% of Canadians hope that Carney will not make any more concessions.

Sources pointed out that the agreement is expected to reduce tariffs on Canadian-made cars from 25% to 15%, and tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum will also be halved to 25%. Ontario, Canada's main producer of steel and aluminum, hopes to completely eliminate related tariffs.