Canada's trade team downplays chances of deal with Trump by Aug. 1

Source: CBC

With the clock ticking on U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to boost tariffs on some Canadian exports to 35 per cent starting Aug. 1, Canada's top trade negotiators are downplaying the likelihood of reaching a deal by that deadline.

Dominic LeBlanc, minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, and Canada's ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman, wrapped up two days of meetings with Republican senators. These included a brief sit-down between LeBlanc and Howard Lutnick, the U.S. secretary of commerce and Trump's point man on tariffs.

"We've made progress, but we have a lot of work in front of us," LeBlanc told reporters outside a Senate office building on Thursday.

LeBlanc said he had a "productive, cordial discussion" with Lutnick and plans to return to Washington next week. He also added some caveats about the path to reaching a deal.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/tariffs-trade-trump-leblanc-hillman-lutnick-1.7592916