Trade delegations from the United States and Canada will meet in Washington on Friday, August 21, for the third time in three days, attempting to finalize a trade agreement before new US tariffs take effect on Saturday.
Canada’s minister responsible for trade with the United States, Dominic LeBlanc, is set to meet with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. This was reported by LeBlanc’s office in a statement.
Tariff and agreement negotiations
On Thursday, LeBlanc and Greer held negotiations that lasted over three hours. According to LeBlanc, the parties are “very close” to an agreement but added that “more work is needed”.
The negotiators are striving to meet the deadline set by US President Donald Trump. He stated that he would impose a new 50 percent tariff on Canadian goods worth about 20 billion dollars at 00:01 Eastern Time (04:01 GMT) on Saturday if an agreement is not reached.
Reaching an agreement could mark a thaw in nearly two years of strained relations between the two long-standing allies and major trading partners. It would also allow progress in broader negotiations to update the trade agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Source: REUTERS
