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Canada races for interim U.S. deal before Aug. 19 50% tariff clock

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Vehicles at a U.S. border port of entry
Photo: Kris Grogan / U.S. Customs and Border Protection (public domain)

When negotiating with the White House, Canada should ensure it's in the strongest position possible, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said Tuesday.

Laing said the Canadian team is prioritizing a deal before Aug. 19, not simply a delay before the 338 tariffs kick in. Poilievre and Majumdar also call for an auto pact reminiscent of the 1965 agreement between Canada and the United States that would allow a car to be sold duty-free in Canada for every vehicle the same manufacturer produces north of the border. Canadian officials, led by chief negotiator Janice Charette and Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc, have told US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and his team they can address the main U.S. irritants if there is meaningful relief on the 232 tariffs, said the people familiar with the talks. The new duties would see the White House use an unprecedented power, Section 338 of the Depression-era Tariff Act, and would not include exemptions for goods traded under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement that Trump signed in his first term. "If the 338 tariffs actually come into effect, it will reset the trade relationship negotiations in a significant way," Laing said.

Canadian negotiators are trying to secure a deal with the United States before 50 percent tariffs on a wide range of goods threatened by President Donald Trump kick in on Aug. 19, while warning of an ugly new phase of the trade dispute if the levies are imposed. After months with little progress, a flurry of high-level meetings has given some Canadian officials optimism for reaching an interim agreement to ease trade across the U.S.-Canada border. That would effectively be a side deal before more substantial and permanent talks on the future of the North American trade relationship. But Canadian officials have told their U.S. counterparts that if Trump carries out his 50 percent tariff threa

The Canadian Press Negotiations between Canada and the United States have ramped up in recent weeks ahead of an Aug. 19 deadline that would see a range of Canadian exports hit with 50 per cent tariffs. The Canadian Press Canada’s top trade negotiators are heading back to Washington this week for more meetings with the Trump administration as the Opposition Conservatives urge Prime Minister Mark Carney to stop making concessions in pursuit of a tariff-free deal. Negotiations between Canada and the United States have ramped up in recent weeks ahead of an Aug. 19 deadline that would see a range of Canadian exports hit with 50 per cent tariffs. Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Jani

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and his American counterpart are aiming to present U.S. President Donald Trump a path to a potential trade deal as early as Monday, CBC News has learned. Sources who were recently briefed on the matter say the hope is the joint proposal can be presented to Trump at least a day before the president's latest tariff deadline. That timeline would give Trump the space to make a final decision before new 50 per cent levies on hundreds of Canadian imports are scheduled to take effect on Aug. 19. CBC News is not naming the sources as they weren't authorized to speak publicly. LeBlanc met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington on Tuesday

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