Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick as officials race against the clock to secure a new trade deal before new 50 per cent tariffs go into effect Wednesday.
The Prime Minister’s Office said Monday that Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone about the ongoing negotiations. Neither side has disclosed details of the discussion.
LeBlanc was accompanied by Canada’s chief negotiator Janice Charette at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C., on Monday afternoon, LeBlanc’s office said.
This was the sixth meeting between LeBlanc and Greer in the last three weeks, as officials hope to present a draft deal to Carney and Trump for their approval before Wednesday’s tariff deadline.
Trump has vowed to hit Canada with new sweeping 50 per cent tariffs on a wide range of goods in response to what the U.S. calls “discriminatory” measures, including boycotts by Canadian provinces of American alcohol in response to the U.S. trade war launched in early 2025.
Trump signed three executive orders last month, each one using a different justification for the new tariff: the provincial and territorial boycotts on American alcohol products, Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on U.S.-made vehicles and auto parts, and quotas on American dairy imports under Canada’s supply management system.
In early 2025, numerous Canadian provinces removed U.S. alcohol from their shelves in response to Trump’s trade war and threats to make Canada the “51st state.”
Carney was in St. John’s on Monday for a joint press conference with Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham and Quebec Premier Christine Frechette.
He was asked whether he expects to speak with Trump over the phone before Wednesday.
“The short answer is, yes,” Carney said.
“We’ll have opportunities over the next 48 hours to discuss in more detail as the negotiations go forward,” he added.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford called for a “united Team Canada approach” in navigating the U.S. trade war.
“Workers and businesses across Ontario continue to be threatened by U.S. tariffs, including President Trump’s latest threat of new tariffs of up to 50 per cent. Ontario will be prepared for any and every scenario,” Ford said during a speech at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) annual conference in Ottawa on Monday.
Canadians “have grown tired of seeing our country used as a punching bag,” Conservative critic for Canada-U.S. relations Shuv Majumdar said in a statement.
“Yet we share a common hope that Prime Minister Carney will deliver a genuine win at the negotiating table. Canada confronts a tough and often unpredictable administration in Washington,” Majumdar said.
