On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump praised Canada. However, when queried about the possibility of resuming trade discussions with the neighboring country, he offered a vague response: “We’ll see.”
While heading to a gala at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Trump mentioned having a “very good, very productive” conversation on Friday with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum during a World Cup draw event.
A representative for Carney described those discussions as “constructive.”
Regarding the revival of trade negotiations with Canada, which were halted in October after Trump’s irritation with anti-tariff advertisements from Ontario during the World Series, he remained non-committal, stating only, “we’ll work it out.”
“They are very tough traders, but I maintain a strong relationship with the prime minister and Canada,” he stated.
“We’ll see — the challenge is that Canada produces many items we also manufacture, but we’ll manage to resolve it. Canada is a unique place, and they excel at ice hockey, don’t they?”
Earlier this year, trade relations among the three countries were significantly disrupted by Trump’s extensive tariffs.
In August, Trump raised tariffs on Canada to 35 percent, while continuing to grant extensions to Mexico, which faced 25 percent duties. Both nations are also impacted by separate tariffs imposed by the president on steel, aluminum, automobiles, lumber, and copper.
The Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, referred to as CUSMA, has protected Canada and Mexico from widespread tariffs. However, the agreement will enter its required review phase next year and is set to expire in 2036 unless all three parties consent to its renewal beforehand.
Mexico and Canada have been exploring alternatives to tariffs while advocating for duty-free trade across the continent, as Trump contemplates withdrawing the U.S. from CUSMA.