Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
2h ago

Canada Pushes for Tariff Relief Before USMCA Review, Rules Out Baseline Deal

Ottawa says leverage comes from U.S. industry pressure plus earlier Canadian concessions.

Dominic LeBlanc President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs, Internal Trade and One Canadian Economy appears as a witness at a Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade at the Senate Building in Ottawa on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc is the leading cabinet minister on the U.S. tariffs file.

Overview

  • Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc told senators talks are ongoing and he hopes to reduce or remove sectoral tariffs before the 2026 USMCA review, saying discussions have not hit a dead end.
  • He said there has been no suggestion to fold the sectoral tariff talks into the USMCA review and that Canada seeks a separate negotiated outcome.
  • LeBlanc rejected accepting any agreement built on a baseline tariff, a template some other U.S. partners have taken, and instead is pursuing targeted relief.
  • U.S. measures now include 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum and 25% on autos, with new Section 232 tariffs this week on lumber and furniture products.
  • Canada has lifted its countermeasures and dropped a planned digital services tax, while banking on pressure from U.S. manufacturers, unions and politicians, and keeping supply management off the table.