Prime Minister Mark Carney is flying to Washington, D.C., on Monday for a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
Carney will travel to the U.S. “ahead of a working visit and meeting with the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, on October 7,” his office said in a statement Friday.
The two leaders “will focus on shared priorities in a new economic and security relationship between Canada and the U.S.,” the statement added.
Before leaving for Washington, Carney met with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in Ottawa. His office said he would depart for the U.S. at 4:30 p.m. eastern and arrive in D.C. around 6 p.m. eastern.
Smith wished Carney well during public remarks ahead of their meeting and said she’d “love to see a renegotiated Canada-U.S. free trade agreement sooner rather than later.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump “looks forward” to hosting Carney in the Oval Office.
“I’m sure trade will be a topic of discussion tomorrow, and all of the other issues that are facing both Canada and the United States. I know the president looks forward to having that discussion with Carney in the Oval Office,” Leavitt told reporters on Monday.
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Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office later on Tuesday, Trump said Carney is “coming to probably talk about tariffs,” but did not say if he would entertain adjusting his tariffs on Canada based on the meeting.
“Look, my position has turned out to be — everybody’s said I’m right,” he said, pointing to the increased tariff revenue and business investment in the U.S. “We’re a really rich country again.
“But more importantly … I use tariffs to stop wars.”
Carney’s visit comes amid growing pressure to negotiate a new trade deal and get tariffs dropped from Canada’s largest trading partner.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on Monday shared a letter he wrote to Carney, urging him to “negotiate a win” for Canada.
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“We only expect you to keep your promises. If you return with excuses, broken promises and photo ops, you will have failed our workers, our businesses and our country,” Poilievre wrote, urging Carney to negotiate a deal with the U.S. that removes all tariffs on Canadian goods.
Poilievre also raised the upcoming meeting in the House of Commons during question period.
“Surely after promising to negotiate a win, to have a deal by July 21, the prime minister is not flying all the way to Washington, D.C., just to have lunch. By the sounds of it, that’s all they are going to accomplish,” Poilievre said.
Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc replied, “Was the leader of the Opposition suggesting if the president of the United States invites you to go to Washington for a meeting and a working lunch, we should have just said no and hung the phone up?”
“No,” Poilievre shot back, “we’re suggesting he actually keep his promise and negotiate a win!”
LeBlanc said Canada is “currently in the best position of any major trading ally of the United States,” and that Carney will discuss the sectoral tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum and automobiles with Trump.
Carney’s office said Canada has the best deal of any of the U.S.’s trade partners.
“Canada has the lowest average tariff rate of any American trading partner, with 85% of Canada’s trade with the U.S. being tariff-free,” Carney’s office said in a statement.
Last month, both Canada and the U.S. announced separately that they are launching a public consultation ahead of the upcoming review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement (CUSMA).
The U.S. Trade Representative is set to begin 45 days of public consultations ahead of the review set to take place next year.
A preliminary U.S. Federal Register notice posted online said there also will be a public hearing in that country in November.
—With files from Global’s Sean Boynton
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