LeBlanc hopes for progress on sectoral deals before CUSMA review starts

The minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade says he's hoping to make progress on one-off, sector-specific tariff deals with the U.S. before the official review of North America's trilateral trade pact begins.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said today Ottawa hopes to "make progress before" the formal Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement review begins next year, and "nobody has yet suggested" Ottawa should fold the sector-specific talks into the broader review.

He said Canada is still in discussions on dropping sector-specific tariffs that are putting pressure on Canadian industries and he does not see "a dead end in those conversations."

LeBlanc made the comments at a Senate foreign affairs committee hearing this morning.

U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up his trade war again this week with an executive order for tariffs on softwood lumber and wooden furniture, which come on top of his tariffs on steel, aluminum, automobiles, copper and goods not compliant under the free-trade pact.

LeBlanc said Ottawa is drawing a line in the sand with the Americans on supply management, both privately and publicly, and will "never" put it on the table in trade negotiations.