Trump Says Trade Deal With Canada ‘Achievable’ Within Days Or Weeks

Authored by Carolina Avendano & Noé Chartier via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

BANFF, Alta.–As G7 leaders gather in Alberta for their annual summit, U.S. President Donald Trump signalled a trade deal with Canada could be reached in the coming days or weeks, provided both sides find common ground.

Trump made the comments when speaking to reporters after a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney on the morning of June 16.

Trump said trade with Canada would be among the key topics discussed at the summit. “I think we are going to accomplish a lot,” Trump said. “I think our primary focus will be trade, and trade with Canada, and I’m sure we can work something out.”

When asked if a potential deal could be reached within days or weeks, Trump said “it’s achievable,” while noting that “both parties have to agree.” Asked what is preventing the two nations from reaching a deal, the president pointed to the “different concepts” he and Carney hold.

“I have a tariff concept; Mark has a different concept, which is something that some people like, but we are going to see if we can get to the bottom of it today,” Trump said.

The president said he has always been a “tariff person,” because “it’s simple, it’s easy, it’s precise, and it just goes very quickly.” He said Carney has a “more complex idea, but also very good,” and that they would look at both ideas to evaluate a potential agreement.

Carney did not speak much during the scrum with reporters. In his comments, he welcomed the president to Canada, saying it was a “great honour” to receive him.

“This marks the 50th birthday of the G7, and the G7 is nothing without U.S. leadership,” Carney said, remarking on Trump’s “personal leadership” on issues such as geopolitics, the economy, and technology. Carney said Canada wants to work “hand-in-hand” with the United States on these areas.

Trump is accompanied at the summit by top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

The meeting between Trump and Carney took place just before G7 leaders convened for their official welcome to the summit, which is taking place in Kananaskis, Alta., until June 17. 

The meeting between Trump and Carney was their second in-person meeting since the prime minister’s visit to the White House on May 6. The two have been regularly in touch in recent weeks as they seek to hammer out a deal involving trade and security.

Trump’s comments about a deal with Canada being achievable in the short term come after Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the talks haven’t been progressing quickly enough. LeBlanc is the minister in charge of trade relations with the United States.

“Our hope was that we would have made more progress before the president arrives in Alberta for the G7. We haven’t hit that sweet spot,” LeBlanc told Global News over the weekend.

Canada has been affected by three different sets of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, some with carve-outs for goods falling under the United States-Mexico-Canada free trade deal (USMCA). 

One set of tariffs is the universal levies for all countries on steel and aluminum, which Trump doubled to 50 percent at the beginning of June. One set of tariffs relates to automobiles and car parts. Another set of tariffs impacts only Canada and Mexico, and is related to border security and drug trafficking concerns around their borders with the United States. 

Before the G7, the Liberal government introduced a bill in Parliament seeking to reinforce the border by giving increasing powers to security agencies and tightening immigration rules.

Carney also recently announced that Canada would be meeting the NATO defence spending guideline this year, several years before initially planned. Trump has long criticized members of the military alliance who don’t meet the defence spending target of 2 percent of GDP. Since being elected in November, Trump has also criticized Canada for not having a robust presence in the Arctic.

High-Level Meetings

Carney held bilateral meetings with other leaders on June 15, including with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Starmer travelled to Ottawa for an official visit before attending the G7. Carney and Starmer said in a joint statement they met to “reaffirm the profound friendship and shared values” that unite both nations.

Carney has sought to reinforce the relationship with the United Kingdom amid tensions with the United States. Shortly after taking office in mid-March following his Liberal leadership win, Carney went to the United Kingdom and France. He has said Canada is the “most European of non-European countries.”

The two leaders also agreed on collaborating further on trade, science, technology, and innovation. This includes expanding trade under the Canada-UK Trade Continuity Agreement, and deepening cooperation in the development of semiconductors, quantum technologies, nuclear energy, artificial intelligence to “support national security,” biomanufacturing, and critical minerals. They also agreed to enhance defence and security partnerships.