What went wrong with U.S. trade talks, according to Canada's chief negotiator
Canada's chief trade negotiator Janice Charette disputes claims by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick that Canada introduced last-minute demands to derail trade talks. The disagreement highlights ongoing tensions regarding automotive tariffs and trade deal negotiations.
Why it matters
The breakdown of trade negotiations between the U.S. and Canada has significant implications for the North American automotive industry and cross-border economic relations.
"Canada has been resolute throughout these negotiations that we were talking about the entirety of our automotive sector," Janice Charette said in an exclusive interview with CBC's The House airing Saturday morning.
Charette's comments clash with those made by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who told reporters Thursday that the Canadians only brought up tariff relief on medium- and heavy-duty trucks at the last minute — and further alleged the Canadians did so to kill the deal.
"The words 'medium- and heavy-duty trucks’ were raised in these negotiations on Friday at 4 o'clock," Lutnick said. Those trucks include some models of Ford's F-series pickups and the General Motors Silverado, which are made at Ontario plants.
Charette refrained from calling Lutnick wrong, but said the Canadians raised the issue on "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday."
Charette says Canada consistently raised auto industry in U.S. trade negotiations
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in