“We’re making progress.” We’re making progress, but we’re not there yet, said Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Saturday that trade negotiations with the United States have advanced following a lengthy telephone conversation with President Donald Trump, though no final agreement has been reached yet. Speaking to reporters in Manila ahead of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, Carney emphasized that Ottawa will not accept any deal that fails to protect the long-term viability of Canada’s automotive industry.
The future of auto manufacturing remains one of the most difficult hurdles in the bilateral talks. Canada suspended trade negotiations in August after last-minute U.S. demands that Ottawa considered unacceptable. Washington subsequently imposed 50 per cent tariffs on about $20 billion in Canadian goods, prompting retaliatory Canadian tariffs in September.
Carney said that he had a lengthy, substantive conversation with President Donald Trump and senior administration officials shortly before leaving for his trip to Europe and Asia. He also said that U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller also participated in the call.
During his remarks in the Philippine capital, Carney emphasized the deep integration between the two economies, noting that the American auto industry depends partly on its production links with its northern neighbor. He stressed that a potential trade deal could reduce some tariffs on key sectors, including steel and aluminum.
“This government will not settle for a deal with the United States that is not consistent with a viable Canadian auto sector,” Carney said, according to CBC News.
He added that reaching a stable automotive trade agreement quickly is “absolutely in the interest of course of Canadian workers, Canadian auto sector, but very much the U.S. as well.”
Carney pointed out that Washington had backed away from previous demands involving Canada’s culture, French-language protections, and ability to negotiate other trade agreements.
In October, Canada’s chief trade negotiator, Janice Charette, described continuing communications with American officials but indicated there was no timetable for returning to detailed negotiations, while Carney subsequently characterized the engagement as more intensive on November 3. Previously, President Trump had stated before the midterms that the two countries were very close to an agreement.
While speaking in Manila, Carney revealed that Canada has largely wrapped up free-trade talks with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations—a region encompassing nearly 700 million individuals—and finalized distinct pacts with the Philippines.
Carney said that Canada is making faster-than-expected progress toward its central goal of doubling exports to markets outside the United States by 2035, noting that approximately one-third of Canada’s export revenue now comes from markets outside the U.S., marking a 40-year high. He highlighted that Canada has signed seven new trade and investment agreements this year and opened new commercial pathways with partners in Asia, including Japan and Australia.
Carney’s schedule after departing the ASEAN summit in Manila features stops at the Francophonie summit in Cambodia as well as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China, which will include a planned meeting with President Xi Jinping.