Canada – U.S. July 2026 –

28 July
‘You Aren’t Going to Like What Comes After America’
By Chrystia Freeland, former deputy prime minister, minister of foreign affairs and minister of finance of Canada.
(NYT opinion) …  It’s about whether Canada is prepared to accept a profound change in its relationship with the United States. It’s about whether Canada is willing to go from being an ally and a partner, in a relationship governed by treaties and rules, to being a vassal, subject to Washington fiat — like the Venezuela of Delcy Rodríguez, only with snowdrifts and hockey.
… As we did in 2018, when we responded to the first major U.S. tariff attack with dollar-for-dollar retaliation, Canada must fight back. The only thing a bully understands is strength, and Mr. Trump is keen to establish himself as the world’s apex predator.
Self-defense works best when you do it as a team, and that is why my friend and former Liberal Party parliamentary colleague Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, has struck such a chord around the world with his call for middle powers to act together.
That’s the right thing for the rest of us to do, and it is happening faster than Americans may realize. But the big unknown remains what happens in the United States.

24 August
Lutnick’s Intervention in Canada Talks Draws Praise, Blame
Takeaways by Bloomberg AI
– US-Canada trade talks collapsed after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick applied last-minute pressure, leading President Donald Trump to impose new tariffs and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to vow retaliation.
– Lutnick viewed a framework deal as too generous to Canada and emerged as a champion for US metal producers who wanted to claw back concessions, according to people familiar with the matter.
– The collapse of the talks has led to a full-blown trade war, with US steel and aluminum companies privately pleased with the outcome, while other groups are calling for a return to negotiations.

5 September
Bob Rae: Read his lips!
Why we should take Donald Trump seriously – my piece in the Toronto Star of September 4-5
His face and voice are everywhere by design. His every move, shout, and social media outburst is amplified, the endless stream of bile, insults and toxicity all part of the plan.
Our temptation may be to shut ourselves off, to find a quieter, saner place where we can detach from the interminable ranting— but we do not have the luxury to ignore this. We have to deal with it, because in very real and substantive ways, U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to wear us down, beat us up, twist the knife and turn the screw.
Like it or not, what Trump thinks and does matters. His are not the ravings of a madman; they are the basis of policy. While his views are not shared by all his fellow citizens, Trump is still the president of the most powerful country on the planet, which happens to be our next-door neighbour. And he is convinced that the only path to American prosperity and dominance is “Only America First.”
For a long time we deluded ourselves into thinking that somehow Canada could find shelter underneath America’s umbrella without really being seen — that we could slip in unnoticed. Trump has made it clear that he is not interested in this dynamic. …

30 August
The Strait of OurMoose
…another potential maritime “choke point”—this one in Canada.
Every ocean-going vessel travelling between Lake Ontario and the upper Great Lakes must pass through Ontario’s Welland Canal.
The Welland Canal is 43.4 kilometres long, contains eight locks and lies entirely within Ontario. The latest economic study attributes approximately US$36 billion in annual economic activity to the broader binational Great Lakes–St. Lawrence waterway—not specifically to American trade passing through the Welland Canal.

27 August
Trump moves to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America”
(Axios) Google now says “Lake America” on mobile and desktop, while Apple Maps says Lake Ontario.
Google said Saturday that it had changed the maps in accordance with updates from the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and updated Google Maps “to reflect name changes in official government sources.”
However, “Lake America” was appearing on some Ontario government agency websites that pull data from Google Maps on Sunday, despite Google saying users in Canada would continue to see Lake Ontario.
A Google spokesperson said in a Sunday night email, “Website developers who embed Google Maps on their site can select a region to localize the map, which determines how place names are displayed. ‘Lake Ontario’ will show when developers have set their region to Canada.”

23-26 August
Trump says the US doesn’t need Canada. The economy says otherwise
(AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump says his country does not need Canada. But every day, roughly 4 million barrels of Canadian crude oil flow south, helping fuel American cars, trucks and airplanes and supply U.S. industry. Canada also supplies aluminum, potash to U.S. farms and parts for an auto industry built on both sides of the border.
Yet Trump has imposed a 50% tariff on Canadian aluminum while acknowledging this week that the United States badly needs the metal.
“This country desperately needs aluminum,” Trump said. “We don’t have it. We get it all from Canada for the most part, and we need it badly.”
The contradiction underscores how deeply the two economies remain intertwined — and how much could be at stake if Trump’s trade war reaches more of the energy, materials and supply chains that the U.S. still relies on Canada to provide.
The White House this week portrayed the relationship in starkly negative terms, saying Canada had taken roughly $50 billion a year from the U.S. over the past decade. Much of that gap reflects U.S. purchases of Canadian energy, which helps power the U.S. economy. And Canada’s heavy crude typically trades at a discount to U.S. benchmark oil, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Energy more than accounted for last year’s $48.3 billion goods deficit. Without energy, the U.S. would have run a trade surplus.
An anti-trade poison pill made Canada-U.S. deal ‘easy to walk away from,’ say ex-diplomats
The U.S. demand would seemingly halt Prime Minister Mark Carney’s push for trade diversification as Canada seeks a swath of new deals.
(Hill Times) Since coming to power 17 months ago, Carney has sought to lessen Canada’s dependence on its southern neighbour with an eye towards Europe and Asia. That includes ongoing trade negotiations with India, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the South American trading bloc Mercosur, among others, as well as completed deals with Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, and Ecuador.
“The U.S. introduced—in the last hours—efforts to restrict our ability to have other trade deals,” Carney told reporters on Aug. 22. “We’re the partner of choice in many respects for countries around the world, and the Americans wanted to restrict that. They had language that they wanted to restrict—unacceptable.”
… The Liberal government hasn’t expanded on what the American demands were that would preclude Canada from seeking other trading partners.
Trade observers say that the suggestion is it would be a veto or a common tariff shared with the U.S.
Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. Mark Wiseman told Bloomberg that the provision wouldn’t have just dealt with China, but other countries, as well. Wiseman didn’t “fully elaborate” on the demand, according to the news service.
[International trade lawyer Matthew] Kronby said agreeing to provisions that infringe on sovereignty is part and parcel of trade negotiations, but that it is only done up to a certain point, such as the “non-market” component in CUSMA.
“But that’s quite different from giving a trading partner a broad veto of who else you trade with, and on what terms you trade with them,” he said.

The Great North American trade war
By Tasha Kheiriddin
(GZERO media) … South of the border, the bitter standoff is worrying American lawmakers, who fear new tariffs will raise costs for businesses and households ahead of the midterms dominated by concerns about affordability…
Autos, imports, and the US midterms. One reason Canada said it backed out of talks was Washington’s insistence on excluding medium- and heavy-duty trucks from proposed tariff reductions. That includes some of America’s best-selling models, the Ford F-Series and Chevy Silverado, which are built at plants in Ontario. Autos are a major part of the province’s economy, making up 18% of its export earnings.
Canada announces retaliatory tariffs on wide range of US goods
Ottawa’s ‘focused response’ to levies imposed by Donald Trump on Canadian products comes after trade talks collapsed last week
August 24, 2026
Heather Cox Richardson
… Trump’s new attack on Canada might not make economic or political sense for the U.S., but it seems to make sense for a decaying president.
Trump is flailing in Iran, and so—as national security scholar Tom Nichols pointed out in The Atlantic after Trump nonsensically attacked South Korea, another longstanding and loyal ally—he is looking to reassert his dominance. Trump doesn’t dare to cross the leaders who actually threaten the U.S., those like Putin, China’s Xi Jinping, and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. Instead, Nichols writes, he is trying to make himself feel better by “kicking America’s allies, the nations he can punish without fear that they will kick him back.”
Paul Krugman: The Moose That Roared
Why Trump will lose his war with Canada
…one clear lesson from a year and a half of Trumpian trade war is that when trade conflicts become extreme, access to crucial imports is more important than the ability to export to another country’s markets. In the case of Trump’s tariffs on China, they have been little more than an inconvenience to the Chinese economy. But China’s threat to cut off exports of rare earths is an existential threat to Western technology industries.
And the U.S. economy is far more dependent on Canadian goods than most Americans realize.
For example, Trump has declared that the U.S. doesn’t need Canadian lumber, an assertion whose truth depends on the meaning of the word “need.” The U.S. does indeed produce most of its own lumber, but Canada dominates the supply of lumber with a high strength to weight ratio, which is preferred by contractors for framing. …
The bottom line is that Trump is going to lose his trade war with Canada as thoroughly as he has lost his shooting war with Iran. But because he won’t face reality, trade with our northern neighbor will probably be disrupted until the narcissistic bully in the White House no longer controls trade policy.
Trump Vows to Double Canadian Auto Tariffs, Escalating Fight
Takeaways by Bloomberg AI
US President Donald Trump pledged to double the automobile tariff on Canadian vehicles and parts to 50%, effective Jan. 1.
The latest tariff threat comes after negotiations between the US and Canada broke down, leading to a 50% levy on billions of dollars worth of Canadian goods.
Trump’s threat could significantly disrupt a supply chain between the US and Canada that has become deeply integrated over the past few decades.
(Bloomberg) … Even as Trump ratcheted up his tariff threats, other administration officials signaled they were open to resuming discussions with Canada.
“I think he would like Canada to come to the table and negotiate in good faith,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters Monday.
Vice President JD Vance, speaking at an event in Maine, said negotiations were “still ongoing,” but provided no details on any formal talks. …
The lesson from Canada’s collapsed trade talks with the US: negotiation may be futile
Olivia Bowden
Breakdown shows Washington now prioritises its own interests over any semblance of shared economic ground
The calamitous collapse of trade negotiations between Canada and the United States is a warning to nations worldwide that pursuing any kind of dialogue with the current US administration is doomed at the outset, according to observers who say this recent episode indicates seeking a fair deal is futile.
Andrea Lawlor, an associate professor of political science at McMaster University in Ontario, said: “No matter the closeness of the historical relationship, the American administration has signalled that it now prioritises its interests above those of some sort of global economic coordination or harmony. …

Carney explains why Canada suspended trade talks with U.S. (YouTube)
FULL SPEECH video and transcript
Prime Minister Mark Carney explained why the government chose not to sign a trade deal with American counterparts as U.S. President Donald Trump’s 50 per cent tariffs on almost $30 billion of Canadian goods are in effect. ‘We were not prepared to compromise Canada’s sovereignty or undermine our key industries,’ Carney said.

21-22 August
Inside the 72 hours that cratered the US-Canada trade deal
Trump announced a “DEAL” on Tuesday night. Then things went south. Now the $1 trillion trade relationship is unraveling.
(Politico) Interviews with more than a dozen current and former Canadian and U.S. officials, lobbyists and business groups suggest the deal President Donald Trump had touted just three days earlier ultimately buckled under a combination of last-minute demands and political constraints on both sides. U.S. officials blamed Canada for introducing new asks late in the talks, including seeking lower tariffs on heavy trucks, while Canadian leaders — including Prime Minister Mark Carney — pointed the finger at turf wars within the Trump administration over who controlled key pieces of the deal.
The result: A dramatic escalation into a trade war between two countries with deeply integrated supply chains, one that could threaten more than $1 trillion in North American trade and, with it, could continue to raise economic pressure ahead of U.S. congressional elections in November. A 50 percent tariff on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods kicked in on Saturday, Canadians have promised to respond in kind and Mexico, which does business with both, could be caught in the crosshairs.
The negotiations also exposed friction between Greer and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s respective public policy spheres. While the White House has been adamant officials are in lockstep, two people familiar with the talks said Lutnick felt the deal framework hammered out by Greer’s trade office was “sprung on” his agency, despite involving a number of policy issues he oversees.
Greer has led the talks with Canadian officials to avoid the new 50 percent tariff, which Trump rolled out last month with a 30-day grace period to allow for a negotiated resolution. The duties were originally set to go into effect at midnight on Aug. 19. But Trump paused them for three days, saying on social media late Tuesday night that the delay was “based on the fact that Canada and the U.S.A., subject to the finalization of documents, have a DEAL!”
But the negotiations ultimately centered on a contested set of issues — U.S. tariff reductions on cars, steel and aluminum — that fall under Lutnick’s jurisdiction at Commerce, giving the former Cantor Fitzgerald CEO a prominent voice in the negotiations.
How to Lose a Trade War
Trump’s bullying of Canada is failing.
By David Frum
(The Atlantic) … The story may not be over. Donald Trump is notorious for issuing threats, then reversing them. Wars are on, off, on again, off again, then on a third time—but only as a “little detour.” This is not an administration that thinks even one move ahead. But without a supersized Trump TACO, the U.S.-Canada impasse likely won’t resolve soon.
Yes, Trump can hurt Canada more than Canada can hurt Trump. That part of Trump’s thinking is true. But wars are not decided only by the question Who can inflict more pain? Wars are also decided by the question Who can endure more pain? Trump’s failure to accept this truth is why he lost the Iran war—and why he is losing his trade wars.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has much more political permission to accept pain from a U.S.-Canadian trade war than Trump does.
To read current Canadian polling is to see a country united under its political leadership—and energized by its dislike and distrust of Trump’s United States. A majority of Canadians view Trump’s America as a more immediate threat to their security than Russia or China. Two-thirds favor the government taking a hard line in trade talks; fewer than one-quarter regard the United States as trustworthy. Meanwhile, Carney is backed by the Canadian public, polling at about 60 percent approval, a remarkable figure in a multiparty political system.
New U.S. tariffs in effect after trade talks fail, Carney says Canada plans to match levies
Carney says U.S. proposed ‘unfair’ last-minute changes, White House says Canada declined to finalize deal
(CBC) U.S. President Donald Trump’s threatened 50 per cent tariffs on $28 billion worth of goods took effect just after midnight after Canadian and American negotiators were unable to finalize a trade deal tonight.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada is planning to match the tariffs “dollar for dollar.”
In a statement late Friday, Carney said Canada is suspending trade talks with the United States and recalling its negotiating team, saying the U.S. made “unfair” last-minute changes to the deal.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced there was no trade deal reached between the two countries less than an hour before midnight, saying Canada “declined to finalize” an agreement and made “new demands and walk backs.”
The two countries had ramped-up trade talks over the last three days after Trump extended the tariff deadline earlier this week.
The new rate applies to a variety of Canadian products, from food and alcohol items to ice hockey equipment.
US Hits Canada With 50% Tariffs and Carney Vows to Retaliate
Takeaways by Bloomberg AI
US-Canada trade talks fell apart, with the US imposing fresh 50% tariffs on billions of dollars of Canadian goods, and Prime Minister Mark Carney promising to retaliate.
The US tariffs took effect on hundreds of items, including plywood, liquor, electrical equipment, and hockey gear, totaling around $20 billion, with Carney saying his government would match those duties “dollar for dollar to protect our workers and businesses.”
The failure to reach an accord has dialed up the tension between the two longtime allies, which conducted almost $900 billion of trade in goods and services last year, with the potential for a spiraling trade fight between the two economies.
No deal reached in U.S.-Canada trade talks as 50 percent tariffs take effect
Canada said it would match the new tariffs “dollar for dollar.”
(WaPo) U.S. tariffs on some Canadian goods took effect early Saturday, after a potential deal between the United States and Canada fell apart, a move expected to escalate tensions between the Trump administration and America’s northern neighbor.
Beer, cheese and a long list of other Canadian imports become subject to new 50 percent tariffs after talks on Friday collapsed. Canada said it would retaliate.
Negotiators from the two countries had worked for weeks to reach a deal to avoid the tariffs, which President Donald Trump announced last month. Trump paused the implementation of the tariffs earlier this week as talks continued. But officials said late Friday night that a deal had broken down and tariffs would go into effect.

One of Trump’s top deputies has been unsatisfied with trade deal on the table for Canada, sources say
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said the White House can secure better terms, sources tell CBC News
(CBC) One of U.S. President Donald Trump’s most influential cabinet members has expressed dissatisfaction with the state of the trade deal on the table with Canada and is pushing for changes to be made as the high-stakes trade negotiations come down to the wire in Washington, CBC News has learned. …
The sources say Lutnick took particular issue with potentially lowering the sectoral tariffs, known as 232 tariffs, including lowering the levy on Canada-made automobiles from 25 per cent to 15 per cent. They say Lutnick believes the reprieve would undermine efforts to encourage domestic production in the U.S.

17-19 August
Tariffs on Hold as Trump Claims Deal With Canada Is Near
President Trump announced a three-day delay on imposing 50 percent tariffs in a social media post on Tuesday night, roughly 90 minutes before the midnight deadline.
(NYT) Canada got a three-day reprieve on damaging new American tariffs against billions of goods, with President Trump claiming that a deal was close but Prime Minister Mark Carney saying only that substantial progress had been made.
“I have paused the 50% Tariffs against Canada, that were scheduled to kick in tomorrow morning for a three day period, based on the fact that Canada and the U.S.A., subject to the finalization of documents, have a DEAL!” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump has previously announced deals with other countries, only to have them fall through — including a recent series of elapsed agreements with Iran. In a brief statement, Mr. Carney was less definitive about what the talks have produced.
“Over the last number of weeks, Canada has engaged in intensive discussions with the United States to address outstanding trade issues,” he said. “Substantial progress has been made, although there is important work still to be done.”
Reflecting his pivot away from Canada’s economic dependence on the United States, Mr. Carney added: “Canada remains focused on building a stronger, more independent, and more competitive economy at home.”
Trump is weighing whether to grant Canada a tariff reprieve
A deal to avoid 50 percent duties on some Canadian goods is on Trump’s desk, as Ottawa and Washington work towards a broader trade agreement.
(Politico) A deal between the U.S. and Canada to stave off new tariffs on Canadian goods is now on President Donald Trump’s desk, according to three people familiar with the discussions who were granted anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.
Now it’s up to Trump whether the 50 percent duty goes into effect, as scheduled, at midnight.
Trump, Carney Talk Trade as Negotiators Battle Over Autos
President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke by phone about trade negotiations on Monday, a little more than 24 hours before the US is due to implement punishing new tariffs on Canadian products.
(Bloomberg) Negotiators have been working for days to try to craft an agreement that would avert 50% duties on a range of US imports from Canada, including milk, beer, plywood and hockey equipment. Both sides are also seeking to reduce existing tariffs and trade barriers they have on each other.
Automotive sector rules are proving to be a major obstacle toward an agreement, according to people familiar with the matter.
Trump put a 25% tariff on foreign cars and trucks last year, but offered Canada and Mexico a partial break based on US parts in the supply chain. A vehicle assembled in Ontario with half US content would have an effective tariff rate of 12.5%, for example.
Canada has pushed to reduce the headline tariff rate on autos to 10% or expand the exemption, according to people with knowledge of the discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity. But the Trump administration has held firm to a minimum 15% rate, the people said.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has demanded Canada drop all of its trade retaliation measures — including the counter-tariffs it placed on US vehicles last year and provincial bans on the retail sale of American-made alcoholic drinks.

11-18 August
(CBC) Evan Dyer reports (and Jeremy Kinsman comments) that
Hoekstra’s missteps in Canada are mild compared to some of Trump’s ambassadors
The U.S. ambassador to Canada’s behaviour has clearly rubbed many Canadians the wrong way.
Over 225,000 of them signed a House of Commons petition to declare Pete Hoekstra persona non grata — the rarely used diplomatic lever to kick an ambassador out of the country.
Woman behind petition to oust U.S ambassador says response is ‘beyond what I expected’
The online petition, which is set to be presented in the House of Commons in the fall, says Pete Hoekstra should be declared persona non grata and the Canadian government should request his removal as U.S. ambassador to Canada.
More than 100,000 people had signed the petition as of Thursday afternoon.
Tens of thousands of Canadians call for U.S. Ambassador Hoekstra to be expelled
Petition launched by Calgary woman to be presented in House of Commons

10-11 August
1Politics evening brief reports Canada’s auto sector is urging the Carney government to remain firm in trade negotiations with the U.S. even if that means no immediate relief from the punishing tariffs on the industry.
Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association of Canada, said the Trump administration miscalculated the response from Canadians and Prime Minister Mark Carney has broad support from voters to turn down a deal.
Volpe said he’s encouraged by recent comments from U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer calling for for great vigilance against Chinese involvement in the North American auto sector and acknowledging the impact of the tariffs on U.S. automakers, who source parts from across the continent.
He said Trump’s pivot on auto parts shows the White House is sensitive to concerns from American automakers. The initial tariffs included no CUSMA exemption but were revised by Trump after outcry from the industry.
Volpe said the “principles of that deal” could offer a path forward for a broad agreement on the auto sector and he’s heard discussions around a similar exemption process in the latest round of talks.
Canada, U.S. trade officials mapping out potential deal to pitch to Trump next week: sources
Canada-U.S. trade minister meeting U.S. counterpart for 3rd time in as many weeks
(CBC) Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and chief trade negotiator Janice Charette are continuing their trade push with the U.S. ahead of next week’s tariff deadline
Canada’s top negotiator told U.S. counterparts Aug. 19 tariffs could halt trade talks, sources say
(Globe & Mail)  Canada’s top trade negotiator [Janice Charette] has warned her American counterparts that if the White House imposes new tariffs on Aug. 19, the move would represent a “cliff” that risks halting negotiations with the U.S.
In the current talks, the U.S. is demanding that Canada accept export quotas on steel and aluminum, remove retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products, such as autos, return American alcohol to store shelves, remove provincial procurement restrictions, and agree to Washington’s interpretation of how dairy quotas should be allocated.
In exchange, the two sides have discussed the U.S. lowering the 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum but leaving some level of tariff in place. Canada is also pushing for tariff relief for the auto and forestry sectors.

CUSMA breakdown could mean hundreds of thousands of jobs, trillions of dollars lost: report
New report comes as Canadian negotiators still working to reach deal ahead of Aug. 19 tariff deadline
The report, prepared for the Canadian American Business Council by Oxford Economics — an independent economic advisory firm — and released Monday, analyzed the likely result of three different outcomes of the ongoing trade talks between the U.S. and Canada.
The scenarios were a status quo situation where current tariffs remain in place, a scenario where the CUSMA agreement breaks down, and one where CUSMA is successfully renegotiated and the trading relationship improves.
Canadian American Business Council (CABC) Launches New Economic Report on the Impacts of US-Canada Tariff Escalation and USMCA
The Canadian American Business Council (CABC) announces the release of its latest economic report, Economic Impacts of US-Canada Tariff Escalation Under the USMCA, providing a comprehensive analysis of the bilateral commercial relationship and the likely economic consequences of three distinct potential outcomes of USMCA negotiations.
As Canada and the United States navigate a pivotal moment in the bilateral relationship, including the ongoing review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the report underscores that the USMCA supports economic growth, affordability, and job creation.
“Successful renegotiation of USMCA would create an additional 137,000 American jobs and 98,000 Canadian jobs in 2027 relative to the status quo. By contrast, the breakdown of USMCA would be accompanied by 214,000 and 102,000 fewer jobs, respectively […]” the report reads.

7 August
The Canadian secessionists who love Trump
By Mickey Djuric
(Politico) The separatists of Alberta…are at the center of one of Canada’s most consequential political debates, one that threatens to fracture the country. In October, voters in the oil-rich, deeply conservative province will decide whether to launch the legal process toward a referendum on seceding from Canada.
Resentment toward the federal government in Ottawa is longstanding in Alberta. But a surprising new ingredient has turbocharged the separatist push: U.S. President Donald Trump and the increasingly toxic U.S.-Canada relationship.
Some place their faith in Trump, not in Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney — whom they view as part of a Davos “cabal.” The separatists are furious about Carney’s friction with Trump and the fraying ties to their southern neighbor. A few even hope the Trump administration might help their cause.

29 July-5 August
Trade negotiators revive proposed steel and aluminum exports quota in return for lower U.S. tariffs
(Globe & Mail) Trade negotiators are reviving a proposal that would see Canadian steel and aluminum exports subject to a quota system in return for lower U.S. levies on the metals, as the clock ticks down on President Donald Trump’s next round of tariffs.
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Janice Charette, Canada’s chief negotiator, jetted to Washington on Tuesday for the second time in as many weeks as the pressure ramps up to make a breakthrough in stalled trade talks.
Their schedule this week includes meeting with U.S. industry groups that support the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, as well as sitting down with senators, one Canadian official told The Globe and Mail.
It was unclear whether Mr. LeBlanc would meet with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick or any other members of the Trump administration.
LeBlanc returns to Washington in effort to advance trade talks
Last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney said the two governments had agreed to intensify talks after U.S. President Donald Trump said that his administration would impose additional 50-per-cent tariffs on around US$20-billion worth of Canadian exports.
The tariffs would hit around 5 per cent of Canadian exports to the U.S., with the affected industries concentrated in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. Unlike some of the other U.S. tariffs, there is no carve-out for products that comply with the rules of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
The Section 338 tariffs are explicitly aimed at getting Canada to back down on several retaliatory measures taken over the past year in response to earlier U.S. tariffs, including provincial bans on U.S. alcohol sales and Ottawa’s retaliatory tariffs on American vehicles. The trade action also takes aim at how Canada allocates dairy quotas – a long-standing U.S. concern.

28-31 July
International unions urge Trump official to reconsider 50% tariffs on Canadian goods
Alessia Passafiume The Canadian Press
… In a joint letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, the international presidents of the United Steelworkers union and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers say trade practices must not drive a deeper wedge between the two countries.
“Each country must ensure that trade is fair and that trade irritants are addressed, however the U.S. trade relationship with Canada over the last year and a half has been marked more by division than co-operation,” wrote United Steelworkers president Roxanne Brown and International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers president Brian Bryant, who are both based in the U.S.
“On behalf of our members on both sides of the border, we call for renewed engagement and negotiations to return our relationship to a more stable, balanced footing.”
Major unions break with Trump over 50% Canada tariffs, warning North American jobs are at risk
(MSN Money) When two of North America’s largest industrial unions tell a tariff-friendly White House that “Canada has never been the problem,” the warning carries unusual weight. On July 28, the United Steelworkers and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers urged U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to reconsider new 50% duties on nearly $20 billion worth of Canadian imports. The measures are scheduled to begin August 19 and would reach some goods that qualify under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement.
A Rare Labour Challenge From Inside the Protectionist Camp
The union intervention matters because it did not come from organizations normally opposed to trade enforcement. The United Steelworkers represents about 850,000 members and retirees across industries including metals, mining, chemicals, auto supply and energy. The Machinists union represents roughly 600,000 active and retired members in aerospace, defence, transportation, shipbuilding and manufacturing. Their presidents, Roxanne Brown and Brian Bryant, jointly asked the Trump administration to return to negotiations rather than deepen the tariff wall.
That makes this a targeted break with Trump, not a conversion to free-trade orthodoxy. The unions stressed that they have supported several of the administration’s trade actions and still favour strong enforcement against countries using subsidies, forced labour or other unfair practices. Their objection is that Canada is a deeply integrated ally whose workers often build the same products as Americans. In practical terms, the unions are arguing that protection aimed in the wrong direction can become self-inflicted industrial damage. …
Canada Is Built Into the American Production System
The unions’ core concern is the scale and structure of the relationship. U.S. goods trade with Canada totalled an estimated $719.5 billion in 2025, including $336.5 billion in American exports and $383 billion in imports. That works out to nearly $2 billion in goods crossing the border on an average day. Canada also remains one of the most important customers for American manufacturers, farmers and energy-related businesses.

27 July
The saga of the Gordie Howe bridge
Today, the Gordie Howe Bridge is set to officially open to the public, connecting Windsor, Ontario to Detroit, Michigan.
Its ceremonial opening on Friday [24 July] was a one-sided affair. It was originally supposed to be a joint ceremony with U.S. officials, but that was cancelled after President Donald Trump announced his plans to hit Canada with a new whack of tariffs.
That’s just one of the many bumps in the road to getting this bridge open.

22-24 July
Trump wants trade — just not on terms anyone can decipher
By Carson Jerema, National Post managing editor, comment
Canada must focus on what it can control and that isn’t the American president
U.S. President Donald Trump’s position in his trade dispute with Canada is that this country must absorb any and all unprovoked acts of aggression and possibly even ask the Americans if they can deliver more hardship, maybe even thank the president for imposing tariffs on us. It is difficult to draw any other conclusion from the new round of tariffs Trump has pledged this week to enact on Canada.
Threats of new 50 per cent levies on a smattering of Canadian imports, ranging from cement to dairy, and from jewelry and essential oils to smartphones and gaming consoles, are intended as supposed retaliation for Canada’s supply management system, as well as the ban on American liquor sales in some provinces, and Canadian tariffs on American auto imports….
Navarro On Rebuilding Trump’s Tariff Regime (YouTube)
White House senior advisor Peter Navarro discusses the administration’s effort to reconstruct its tariff program using several trade laws after the Supreme Court struck down its previous approach. He defends new tariffs tied to forced labor in global supply chains and says separate investigations could lead to additional duties over the European Union’s treatment of US technology companies and foreign industrial overcapacity. Navarro argues the measures will help rebalance trade without producing sustained inflation and urges the Federal Reserve not to raise interest rates in response to the energy-price shock from the Iran war. He speaks with Joe Mathieu on the late edition of Bloomberg’s “Balance of Power”.

New Tariffs as Old Ones Expire: The Latest on Trump’s Trade War
The president has unveiled a complicated system to forge ahead with his trade war, after the Supreme Court stuck down his original levies.
(NYT) … Separately, the Trump administration took direct aim at Canada this month.
On Monday, the president announced that the United States would soon impose a 50 percent tariff on goods arriving from its neighbor, including cement, dairy products, hockey sticks, plywood, paper and wine, alleging that Canada had discriminated against U.S. industry.
To do this, Mr. Trump tapped an obscure provision of another trade law, Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, which permits tariffs as a response to countries that put undue burdens on U.S. imports. The tariffs are set to take effect in August. It is unclear how this duty will interact with those imposed on Canada under Section 301.
Unlike the president’s past actions targeting Canada, this tariff will apply even to goods that are covered under the United States-Canada-Mexico Agreement, known as U.S.M.C.A. That trade deal, which Mr. Trump signed in 2018, is being renegotiated.