OTTAWA — China hailed a new level of “strategic co-operation” with Washington.
asserted
China → hail → Washington
Even before Canada-U.S. trade minister Dominic LeBlanc chatted with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer for about 30 minutes on Friday afternoon, Trump’s top trade official threw cold water on any prospect of negotiations restarting, suggesting a deal with Canada is as elusive as ever.
asserted
deal → chat → Canada
President Donald Trump is satisfied with the stalemate with Canada, Greer told CNBC, because America is “getting what we need” from Canada — an apparent contradiction of Trump’s repeated claims that the U.S. does not “need” anything from Canada.
uncertain
U.S. → tell → Canada
Greer said there is a “lot of other trade with Canada.
asserted
Greer → say → Canada
You know we’re still getting what we need from them in terms of oil, gas, potash, all of these things.
asserted
we → know → things
We’re shipping (agricultural products) back and forth across the border,” he continued.
asserted
he → ship → border
We’re comfortable with where we are.”
asserted
we → ’re → ?
There are effectively no U.S. tariffs currently on Canadian oil, gas or potash, and Canada’s Liberal government under Mark Carney has rejected calls to leverage Canada’s resource assets, saying the notion of imposing export taxes or throttling energy or fertilizer exports to the U.S. would risk Canada’s reputation as a reliable supplier.
asserted
notion → be → supplier
Conservatives are in a pickle, and Poilievre is straddling a barbed-wire fence
asserted
Poilievre → straddle → fence
On Friday, Greer shrugged off tensions that saw Ottawa break off trade talks on Aug. 21 over what Carney said were unacceptable U.S. demands encroaching on Canadian sovereignty over language and culture, and its ability to independently set trade policy and do deals with other countries.
asserted
Carney → shrug → countries
The collapse of talks — the second major rupture in negotiations in a year after last fall’s blow-up over Ontario’s anti-tariff ad campaign during the World Series — triggered a new round of tit-for-tat tariffs and counter-tariffs between Canada and the United States, Trump’s retaliatory order to federal agencies to change the name Lake Ontario to Lake America, and a renewed “governor” taunt toward Carney.
asserted
collapse → trigger → Carney
Carney has signalled he’s moved on, is focused on strengthening multilateralism, and doesn’t much care about the daily back and forth with Trump.
asserted
he → signal → Trump
The prime minister says he remains in touch with the U.S. president, and that he can “compartmentalize” the trade dispute and still discuss geopolitical issues.
asserted
he → say → issues
LeBlanc also remains in casual contact with Greer, but made clear Canada is not comfortable with the state of trade relations, adding the United States has imposed “illegal and unjustified tariffs on sectors of our economy that are causing considerable hardship to workers and businesses across the country.
asserted
that → remain → country
At the same time, Leblanc emphasized, “we’re also not going to sign a deal that’s bad for Canada.”
asserted
that → emphasize → Canada
Hinting that in the coming weeks the Carney government would announce a new round of “major projects of national interest,” LeBlanc said it will “continue to pursue plan A, which is controlling what we can control, building strength at home, diversifying those trading relationships, and working with the United States to try and find a deal that will be in the interests of Canadian workers that will protect Canada’s sovereignty,” which he suggested is plan B.
uncertain
he → hint → sovereignty
A senior government official confirmed Friday that indeed, nothing had changed after LeBlanc and Greer spoke.
asserted
LeBlanc → confirm → ?
Canada, LeBlanc said, is not “desperate to get an arrangement at any cost.”
asserted
LeBlanc → say → cost
However, Greer portrayed Canada as the party that is eager for a deal.
asserted
that → portray → deal
The Canadians “periodically, they come, and they want to have a deal.
asserted
they → come → deal
When they do, we talk.
asserted
we → do → ?
As we saw before, we gave them a deal.
asserted
we → see → deal
They left.
asserted
They → leave → ?
They call us now and then, and we have good conversations about potential deals.
asserted
we → call → deals
But,” Greer added, “no urgency on our side.”
asserted
Greer → add → side
Greer said Trump’s trade policy, including up to 50 per cent levies on steel, aluminum, autos and other products, is a “global policy.
asserted
policy → say → steel
It applies to Canada, China, the U.K., Brazil, all kinds of countries.”
asserted
It → apply → countries
And, Greer claimed, it is working to increase U.S. steel and auto production already.
asserted
it → claim → production
He told CNBC that the U.S. advanced trade with China during this week’s visit with President Xi Jinping, and would release details on Monday of the list of a “subset of goods” that the U.S. “can trade with the Chinese on a more preferential basis.”
asserted
U.S. → tell → basis
Greer listed agricultural products, medical devices, consumer goods and “other things that are nonsensitive.
asserted
that → list → products
And we’ve actually reached agreement with the Chinese on a number of these.”
asserted
we → reach → these
Greer also suggested talks with Mexico are advancing.
uncertain
talks → suggest → Mexico
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters she believes the U.S. has an “intention” to reach a bilateral agreement before its midterm elections, but she also said talks are not yet at a final stage.
asserted
talks → tell → stage
“We’re making progress,” Sheinbaum said Friday.
asserted
Sheinbaum → make → progress
“Our goal is to reduce tariffs on steel and automobiles and eliminate other tariffs, and that’s the discussion we’re having right now.
asserted
we → reduce → tariffs
They’ve raised several issues.
asserted
They → raise → issues
We’ve made progress on some.
asserted
We → make → some
Others depend on our sovereignty — and, of course, we won’t yield on those because they involve sovereignty, territorial integrity, and our constitution — and everything must fall within the framework of the trade agreement.
asserted
everything → depend → agreement
So, of course we’re interested in economic integration, but always with sovereignty.”
asserted
we → ’re → sovereignty
Both Sheinbaum and Greer alluded to the growth of electronics manufacturing in Mexico.
asserted
Sheinbaum → allude → Mexico
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
