By David Ljunggren
KANANASKIS, Alberta (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday a new economic deal with Canada was possible but stressed tariffs had to play a role, a position that the Canadian government strongly opposes.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who won the April election on the back of a promise to fight Trump’s tariffs, is pushing for what he calls a new economic and security relationship with the United States.
“I have a tariff concept. Mark has a different concept … we’re going to see if we can get to the bottom of it,” Trump said when meeting Carney on the sidelines of a G7 summit in Alberta. “I’m a tariff person.”
Asked whether a deal was possible within weeks, Trump replied: “Yes, it’s achievable.”
Canada, the top supplier of steel and aluminum to the United States, faces tariffs imposed by Trump on both metals as well as on auto exports.
Carney said last week the countries were in intense negotiations over the tariffs and that Canada was preparing reprisals if those negotiations do not succeed.
Optimism that a deal could be concluded quickly has faded over the past 10 days, with Canadian officials saying privately the United States appears to be in no rush.
“We are in the middle of a discussion – we are not at the end of the discussion. Our position is that we should have no tariffs on Canadian exports to the United States,” said Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to Washington.
“We will continue to talk until we find a deal that is the best deal we can achieve for Canada,” she told reporters after Carney met Trump.
(Reporting by David LjunggrenEditing by Rod Nickel)
