Article content
OTTAWA — U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said a Canadian minister did not deny it when asked if Canadian negotiators were trying to “blow up” trade negotiations last month.
Sign In or Create an Account
or View more offersArticle content
Lutnick, the brash Trump cabinet member who is a close advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, made the claim during an interview on CNBC Wednesday morning when discussing the end of negotiations late Friday Aug. 21.
Article contentArticle content
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“Friday at 4 o’clock, the Canadians call. They start adding crazy ideas to the mix. So, I said to one of the ministers, ‘are you actually trying to blow this up?’ And his answer to me was, ‘I’m not allowed to say that.’ And they blew it up for political reasons only,” Lutnick said.
Article contentArticle content
The only minister present at the negotiations with the U.S. was Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc. LeBlanc’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Article content
Lutnick’s comments were the latest salvo in an escalating war of words between the U.S. and Canadian federal governments since trade talks fell through on Aug. 21.
Article content
The Canadian and U.S. governments have consistently blamed the other side for blowing up recent trade negotiations aimed at avoiding new tit-for-tat tariffs and reducing ongoing U.S. tariffs on key Canadian sectors.
Article content
The day after instructing Canadian negotiators to leave the table and come home, Carney told reporters the U.S. had added a series of last-minute unacceptable conditions to draft deal text that pushed him to cut negotiations.
Article content
He cited the addition of language on auto industry tariffs, such as a failure by the U.S. to reduce tariffs on heavy-duty trucks such as those produced in auto plants in Southern Ontario. He also cited “efforts to restrict our protections of our language, our culture, and in effect, our sovereignty.”
Article content
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
In response, U.S. Trade Representative Jameson Greer and Lutnick have accused the Canadians of cutting talks off for political reasons.
Article content
Days after talks ended, Greer attributed the collapse to Canada ultimately wanting more than what his administration was willing to give, noting that the proposed agreement included halving U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, reducing tariffs on Canadian autos and tariff relief on Canadian softwood lumber.
Article content
The USTR said it was the best market access to the U.S. compared to any other country in the world.
Article content
“They wanted more,” said Greer. “I don’t know if it was political for them, it certainly doesn’t make economic sense, but perhaps for political reasons, they have some byelections coming up,” Greer said in reference to three federal by-elections that occurred Monday Aug. 31. The Liberals won all three.
Article content
National Post also recently reported a senior Canadian government official noting that the country’s negotiators pulled out because Ontario Premier Doug Ford “was not on board.” A key Canadian concession in the negotiations was that all provincial liquor boards would resume stocking U.S. alcohol.