Nicolai Haugsted
Canada says Trump’s offer doesn’t go far enough as deadline approaches.
Canada’s attempt to secure a trade agreement with the United States has run into fresh resistance days before Donald Trump is scheduled to dramatically raise tariffs on Canadian goods.
According to Reuters, negotiators from Ottawa and Washington have been meeting daily in the U.S. capital, trying to narrow their differences before an August 19 deadline. According to CBC News, however, Canadian officials are dissatisfied with Washington’s latest proposal and believe it does not provide enough relief.
Failure to reach an agreement could leave Canadian exporters facing tariffs of 50 percent across a broad range of products.
Washington puts new offer on the table
Trump announced last month that the higher tariffs would take effect unless Canada changed policies he considers discriminatory toward American products.
Cars made in the United States are among the president’s complaints, alongside American alcohol and dairy goods.
Washington presented Canadian negotiators with a revised proposal on Tuesday, according to CBC News, which cited two sources familiar with the discussions. U.S. officials reportedly offered to reduce some tariffs, but the reductions fell short of what Ottawa had been seeking.
Canadian negotiators are pushing for broader relief from tariffs introduced by Trump last year in exchange for concessions of their own.
Neither side has publicly detailed exactly how far apart the two governments remain.
Daily talks as deadline approaches
Pressure on the negotiations is increasing with less than a week remaining before the planned 50 percent tariffs take effect.
Trump’s threat has given the talks a firm deadline, while Canada is simultaneously attempting to unwind some of the trade barriers already imposed by his administration.
Officials have consequently been negotiating on a daily basis in Washington, according to the report.
No public comment on the latest proposal had been issued by the offices of U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer or Canadian minister Dominic LeBlanc, who is responsible for U.S. trade relations.
Tuesday’s offer indicates that Washington is prepared to discuss reducing at least part of the existing tariff burden. Ottawa’s reported dissatisfaction suggests the proposed reductions have not gone far enough to produce a breakthrough.
Further negotiations now leave both governments with only days to determine whether that gap can be closed.
Without another offer or a compromise before August 19, Trump’s threatened 50 percent tariffs remain scheduled to hit a wide range of Canadian imports.
