Canada’s U.S. ambassador wants to set aside the ‘bluster’ as rhetoric around trade heats up

Canada’s new ambassador in Washington said Thursday that trade talks need to move beyond “bluster” as public rhetoric on both sides of the border has heated up in recent weeks.

“Every meeting that I’ve had has been respectful, open and receptive — and I have to say, I wasn’t necessarily expecting that,” Wiseman told MPs on the House of Commons foreign affairs committee.

“I think at times we have to look below the bluster … and get down to business. And my sense, based on my reasonably large sample in the first couple of months, is that people in the United States are also wanting to get down to business.”

These were Wiseman’s first public comments since officially taking up the ambassador role in February. They come as officials on both sides of the border have been taking shots at each other over the way they’ve tackled trade talks ahead of the mandatory Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) review this year.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick criticized the current version of North America’s free trade agreement on Friday while taking a swipe at Canada, saying “they suck” — a comment his office later clarified was meant to refer to the Canada-U.S. trade imbalance.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer suggested to Congress on Wednesday that Washington is prepared to levy retaliatory measures against Canada after a number of provinces removed American alcohol from its shelves, which itself was a response to the U.S. levying sectoral tariffs on a number of Canadian goods.

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‘At the end of our rope’: U.S. trade envoy mulls action against provincial booze bans

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the U.S. is running out of patience in asking Canada to remove its provinces’ restrictions on sales of American alcohol. ‘My sense is there may have to be an enforcement action to deal with this issue on wine and spirits in Canada,’ Greer said.

“My sense is there may have to be an enforcement action to deal with this issue on wine and spirits in Canada,” Greer said, though he didn’t offer any specifics on what the retaliation might look like.

Prime Minister Mark Carney bristled at a question about Greer’s comments during a news conference on Thursday, pointing to the U.S. sectoral tariffs.

“You know what’s an irritant? A 50 per cent tariff on steel and aluminum, 25 per cent on automobiles, all of the tariffs on forest products. Those are more than irritants. Those are violations of our trade deal, OK?” Carney said.

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‘What do you think rupture means?’: Carney confirms U.S. trade talks ‘are not normal’

Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed current trade talks with the United States ahead of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement review are not the norm but said ‘we have more than enough’ to do in Canada for U.S. relations to be the first focus. ‘I do not get up first thing in the morning and think about the United States,’ Carney said.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford ruled out the idea of putting American liquor back on the shelves in his province until the sectoral tariffs are gone.

“I’d do it in a heartbeat folks, but when he’s destroying our auto sector, putting in jeopardy tens of thousands of jobs,” there will be no movement to bring those products back, Ford said.

Greer met with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum earlier this week, and the two countries have set an official date next month for the first round of official CUSMA talks.

Wiseman said Thursday that Canada has no similar start date for official talks, but suggested informal conversations are ongoing.

Carney and Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, have indicated this week that the U.S. is trying to push for concessions from Canada before official talks can get underway.

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‘A lot of work to do’ on talks with U.S., says Minister LeBlanc

Prime Minister Mark Carney has named the members of his new advisory committee on Canada-U.S. economic relations as the July 1 deadline to review CUSMA approaches. With a date set for Mexico’s formal talks with the U.S., pressure on Canada is mounting. Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, tells Power Politics: ‘If we wanted to accept a bad deal, we could have done that months ago.’

“It’s not a case of the United States dictates the terms. We have a negotiation. We can come to a mutually successful outcome,” Carney said Wednesday.

While Greer has suggested the sectoral tariffs are an issue outside the purview of the CUSMA review, Carney and LeBlanc have insisted the two issues must be discussed in tandem.

The text of the trilateral agreement sets July 1 as the date by which the three ​countries need to ​either approve a renewal ⁠of the existing agreement or signal their intention to exit the pact, but that process can take up to 10 years. Officials on both sides of the border have said talks are likely to extend past that date.

Wiseman apologizes for English-only invitation to MPs

During his opening statement at Thursday’s committee, Wiseman apologized for issuing an English-only invitation to MPs for an upcoming reception in Washington.

“This was an error, an unacceptable error,” Wiseman said of the invitation. “I want to apologize on behalf of the embassy and personally.”

The ambassador said a new invitation in both official languages had been sent to MPs on the committee who will be in D.C. next month when the reception is set to be held.

Asked Thursday about the English-only invitation, Carney said it was “unacceptable.”

“I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed in him disappointing his office,” the prime minister said in response.

Bloc Québécois MP and vice-chair of the committee Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe said the English-only invitation was a “bad start” for the new ambassador.

“The first official communication Mr. Wiseman has made to federal MPs is in English only. We find that unacceptable,” Brunelle-Duceppe told Radio-Canada in a French interview.

The Bloc MP pressed Wiseman during Thursday’s committee, questioning whether he could defend Quebec’s interests in trade talks. Brunelle-Duceppe specifically brought up Wiseman’s past comments on Canada’s dairy sector.

In the past, Wiseman said supply management — which protects the domestic dairy industry from some imports and guarantees farmers a minimum price for their products — benefits a “group of settled players,” impedes innovation and keeps “prices artificially high for Canadian consumers.”

In response to Brunelle-Duceppe on Thursday, the ambassador didn’t walk back his past comments on supply management, but said he supports the government’s goal of maintaining the system.

“My role is to support and implement the policies of the government of Canada,” Wiseman said.

“Whatever my views may have been or may be today is completely irrelevant to the job that I have to carry out, and I will carry out that job faithfully in protecting supply management.”

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Ahead of the first meeting of Carney’s new advisory board on U.S. trade relations, former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole tells Power Politics, the committee must ‘explain what we’re doing, while obviously keeping some of the strategy secret.’

Beside his stated disappointment in the English-only invitation, Carney defended his man in Washington.

“He’s the right person for the job because he’s very good at strategy deals. He’s got very good contacts, including within this administration and the broader business and governmental community,” he said.

Carney also argued that it will ultimately be up to himself and his government to ensure Quebec and Canada’s interests are defended at the negotiating table.

“[Wiseman] is a diplomat, not a decider. The decider is the government of Canada,” he said.

Article source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/carney-u-s-ambassador-wiseman-cusma-talks-9.7174897?cmp=rss