Canadian officials struck a diplomatic tone Thursday amid meetings on both sides of the border with members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration focused on the growing trade war between the two countries.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford emerged from an hours-long sit-down with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington, D.C., saying he was “extremely positive” about the road ahead for the Canada-U.S. relationship, but did not give details on whether any concessions on tariffs or trade were secured.
“I can honestly say that was the best meeting I’ve ever had coming down here,” he told reporters, adding the meeting was “extremely productive.”
“We feel the temperature is being lowered.”
Ford met with Lutnick alongside federal Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, and Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman.
LeBlanc said the meeting was “an opportunity for us to understand in a very concrete way the American process over the next few weeks” regarding tariffs and Trump’s trade policy.
“Obviously, we reiterated the long-standing position of our government that the tariffs are unjustified,” he told reporters at the Canadian embassy in Washington.
Ford said he and Lutnick agreed to meet again next week that he said he hopes will be just as productive. The federal ministers said there will be more conversations with Lutnick and other American officials in the coming weeks.
“We want the best outcome for both countries,” Ford said. “We’re like a family. Sometimes there’s tension between families. … There’s always going to be bumps in the road.”
The meeting was set up after a day of back-and-forth tariffs on Tuesday following Ford imposing a 25 per cent surcharge on electricity exports to the U.S. on Monday. Trump responded by threatening to double the levies on Canadian steel and aluminum over the course of the day on Tuesday.
However, after a phone call between Ford and Lutnick, both sides agreed to cool temperatures and agreed to an in-person meeting. Ford decided to withdraw Ontario’s surcharge, while Trump kept his steel and aluminum tariffs that went into effect Wednesday at 25 per cent.
Ford did not answer multiple shouted questions as he walked away from reporters about whether the electricity surcharge could be brought back for U.S. states Ontario sells energy to if Trump continues with his tariffs on Canada.
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A spokesperson for Ford’s office told Global News the surcharge will remain paused for now.
Lutnick told Fox News before the meeting that the U.S. will be looking for concessions from Canada on trade.
“You have to remember, Canada exists, leaning on our economy,” he said. “Why are we doing all this business in Canada if they’re not respectful, if they’re not thankful, and they don’t want to do it?”
He also criticized Canada for responding to U.S. tariffs with retaliatory measures in a separate interview with Bloomberg News, as opposed to other tariffed nations like Mexico and the United Kingdom.
Champagne told reporters there was “an opportunity for a reset” of the Canada-U.S. relationship after Liberal Leader Mark Carney is sworn in as prime minister on Friday.
“We want to win,” he said, while noting having a dialogue with the Trump administration was valuable.
“We leave Washington, I think, better equipped in making sure that we can defend Canadian interests.”
Asked about Lutnick’s comments, Champagne said “there’s no alternative” to standing up for Canadians through retaliation.
Canada a top issue in Washington, G7 meeting
Earlier Thursday, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly delivered opening remarks at the G7 foreign ministers meeting in Charlevoix, Que., but did not make mention of the trade war.
However, she was expected to raise the issue in her bilateral meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Seated next to Rubio at the meeting, Joly talked about the need to ensure maritime security and for the G7 nations to work together.
“I look forward to discussing how we can support Ukraine,” she said, talking about the need to counter Russian aggression as she welcomed the G7 foreign ministers to Quebec.
The federal government on Wednesday announced new counter-tariffs on nearly $30 billion in steel and aluminum products, as well as additional U.S. imported goods.
The 25 per cent retaliatory tariffs came into effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time Thursday and include $12.6 billion in steel products, $3 billion in aluminum items, as well as additional imported U.S. goods worth $14.2 billion.
They are in addition to Canada’s first round of retaliatory tariffs on $30 billion worth of U.S. goods that were imposed last week after sweeping U.S. tariffs on Canada took effect on March 4.
More tariffs are set to take effect starting April 2, which Trump has said will be “reciprocal” based on what foreign trading partners charge for U.S. products.
Trump told reporters Thursday he’s “not going to bend” on those tariffs despite the Canadians’ visit to Washington.
Elsewhere in the American capital, Trump’s choice for the next U.S ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra reaffirmed to U.S. senators at his confirmation hearing that “Canada is a sovereign state.”
Moments later, however, Trump told reporters again that he wants to make Canada a U.S. state, calling the border between the two countries an “artificial line.”
Rubio told reporters Wednesday on his way to Quebec that the G7 meeting will not be “about how we’re going to take over Canada,” and suggested Trump’s rhetoric does not reflect the U.S. government’s position.
“He’s made an argument that it’s in their interest to do so,” he said. “Obviously the Canadians disagree.”
–with files from Canadian Press
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