WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States may not reach a negotiated trade deal with Canada, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday, suggesting his administration could set a tariff rate unilaterally.
Trump, speaking to reporters as he left the White House for a trip to Scotland, said, “We haven’t really had a lot of luck with Canada. I think Canada could be one where there’s just a tariff, not really a negotiation.”
The two nations are trying to work out a trade deal before August 1, when Washington is threatening to impose 35% tariffs on all Canadian goods not covered by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.
Carney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Canadian officials have increasingly made clear that the chances of a deal by August 1 are unlikely.
Dominic LeBlanc, the federal cabinet minister in charge of U.S.-Canada trade, told reporters in Washington on Thursday after two days of talks that “we’ve made progress, but we have a lot of work in front of us.”
LeBlanc said Canada would take the time necessary to get the best deal possible.
Carney indicated last week that Canada might not be able to persuade the United States to lift all its sanctions.
(Reporting by Steve Holland in Washington and David Ljunggren in Ottawa, writing by Andrea Shalal, Editing by Nick Zieminski and Marguerita Choy)
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