There are no current negotiations over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. said on Thursday.
Noting that time is running out before Canada’s Parliament breaks in June for the federal election expected in October, Ambassador David MacNaughton said it was his view that Parliament would not ratify the new NAFTA agreement with the tariffs still in place, according to the Hamilton Spectator.
But tariff negotiations are not occurring, MacNaughton told reporters after speaking at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event in Washington. Rather, he said, “conversations” have consisted simply of the two countries restating their views.
“We’re not in active negotiations at the present moment, but we need to get into active negotiations if we’re going to be able to resolve this,” he said.
MacNaughton sounded more optimistic in February, when he predicted the dispute would be resolved in “the next few weeks.” He joked about the prediction on Thursday, saying it had taken more weeks than he had thought.
(Hamilton Spectator)
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