The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is comfortable maintaining its trade standoff with Canada despite new import bans taking effect next week U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Friday.
His comments to CNBC suggest Washington sees little need to compromise despite a dispute that has strained relations between the longtime allies, prompted retaliatory measures on both sides of the border and raised questions over the future of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.
The incoming U.S. import bans will cover a range of Canadian products, including alcoholic drinks, motorcycles and dairy goods. The planned increase in tariffs to 50 per cent in January could have significant consequences for North American car production.
Canada introduced its own retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods earlier this month. They followed U.S. tariffs of 50 per cent on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods imposed last month after several rounds of negotiations broke down.
“We’re still getting what we need from them in terms of oil, gas, potash, all of these things. We’re shipping agricultural products back and forth across the border, so there’s still a lot of strong trade between the two countries,” Greer told CNBC.
“We’re comfortable with where we are,” he said, adding that the two sides continued to have discussions about possible deals but that there was “no urgency” on the U.S. side.
The Canadian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The breakdown in negotiations has widened a rift between the neighbouring countries, with both sides blaming each other for the failure of the talks.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has urged the country to further diversify its trade away from its biggest trading partner, while the dispute has also raised doubts over the future of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Some experts believe the Trump administration may seek to reach an agreement with Mexico first, potentially giving Washington greater leverage in negotiations with Canada.
The next round of talks with Mexico could take place in October, Mexican officials said this week.
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