Canada and US say they are finalising a trade deal, but details remain murky

BBC:

Canada and the US are finalising a highly anticipated trade deal, with President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney touting it as a success.

Trump said the proposed deal will be welcomed by US farmers and manufacturers, while Carney said it will secure “the best terms” for Canada’s strategic sectors and provide certainty on the future of US-Canada trade.

Trade negotiators met on Wednesday for the third time in as many days after Trump paused a new wave of tariffs he had threatened to impose overnight on a range of Canadian goods.

But details on what the agreement covers, what concessions both sides have made, and what still needs to be ironed out, remain unclear.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday after a 45-minute meeting with his Canadian counterpart, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the Americans are “very happy” and the deal eliminates “some of the irritants” the US had with Canada.

“We feel confident that we’ve reached an agreement that will not only continue to protect American workers, American jobs, American supply chains, but really strengthen the North American economy,” Greer said.

He said he will soon brief Congress and US stakeholders on the deal’s details.

Trump said Canada has agreed to eliminate tariffs on US farmers, though he did not specify which specific agricultural sectors would benefit.

Asked whether the US will also reduce some tariffs it has placed on Canada, Trump said by “a little bit”.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Carney said “significant progress” had been made and they were moving towards an agreement that addresses “Canada’s most important strategic sectors”.

Canada has been in pursuit of a deal that would have the US drop or reduce tariffs on its steel, aluminium, automobiles and lumber.

The prime minister met his cabinet and leaders of Canadian provinces on Wednesday afternoon to brief them.

Following Carney’s meeting, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said the prime minister asked provinces to return US alcohol to Canadian markets.

“It’s been something that has kind of really bothered the United States for so many reasons,” Houston said. “Now, whether Canadians will really buy it when it’s back on the shelf, that’s a whole other discussion.”

Most Canadian provinces banned US alcohol sales last year in retaliation to Trump’s tariffs.