Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc is set to travel to Washington this week after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to slap new tariffs on an array of Canadian goods starting next month.
LeBlanc’s spokesperson Gabriel Brunet said Tuesday the minister will be joined by Janice Charette, Canada’s chief trade negotiator. Brunet did not say exactly when LeBlanc and Charette will be in Washington or identify the officials they are meeting.
The meetings in the U.S. capital come as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Canada in advance of formal talks on the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement on trade, better known as CUSMA.
The Trump administration said last week it would impose 50 per cent tariffs on certain Canadian goods in response to provincial liquor bans, Canada’s dairy supply management system and certain automobile quotas.
Unlike many of Trump’s other tariffs, the new duties will have no exemptions for goods compliant under CUSMA.
The continental trade pact has shielded Canada and Mexico from many of the president’s tariffs but Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on the agreement’s future.
The president told Fox News Tuesday that he doesn’t “really want to” update the trade agreement, adding, “I’d rather be independent.”
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“Mexico and Canada need us. We don’t need them,” he said. “The deal is important for them. It’s not important for us.”
During LeBlanc’s last trip to Washington in June, which saw him meet with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, the minister said that Canada was looking for a 16-year extension to the trade agreement. LeBlanc and Greer met again on the sidelines of the G7 in France later that month.
But at the beginning of July, the Trump administration announced it was not extending the trilateral trade agreement. That triggered annual rolling reviews that could last for up to a decade — at which point CUSMA would expire unless all three countries agreed to an extension.
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Mexico and Washington have started official CUSMA negotiations but Ottawa has not yet started formal talks.
Members of Trump’s trade team have described Mexican negotiators as pragmatic but have complained about the Canadians being difficult.
In the weeks since LeBlanc’s last trip to Washington, Canada has faced a barrage of U.S. tariff threats linked to wildfire smoke and the Trump administration temporarily blocked the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Ontario and Michigan.
Citing forced labour in supply chains, Greer announced new duties on Canada and dozens of other countries last week — hours before a different stopgap tariff authority was set to expire.
Greer, however, has indicated he’s working towards a CUSMA extension. Trump’s trade czar told a Senate finance hearing last week that he hopes to provide “options” by the end of the year to Trump, Canada and Mexico on renewing the continental trade pact.
“I would love to have between now and the end the year at least some arrangements — one with Canada, one with Mexico,” Greer said July 22.
“And then some of these issues that are really important — like rules of origin, I know labour environment’s important to a lot of folks here — that take a little more time, to have further discussion of that, including with Congress, in the following year.”
— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa
I see the Liberal Party of China is making friends with lead paint childrens toys.
I hate Liberals.
…and he failed.
Trumps mighty USA can’t even beat a bunch of religious zealots in dresses and sandals. Go Away.
Anonymous
July 29, 2026 at 6:19 pm
Trump and mega have below average iq and about grade 4 vocabulary
Thats why Carney cant talk to them. Hes a child in kindergarten yet. LeBlanc is his willing chum who will do anything for a pat on the head and some notoriety.
LeBlanc has been at this for how long ow? Its gotten WORSE YOU DAMNED FOOLS!!!
It’s Only-Minister LeBlanc. Yes, Carney saw the caucus and gave most of the important jobs to this guy.
Has he come remotely clise to anything resembling success? Hell no.
Trump and mega have below average iq and about grade 4 vocabulary
Trump will (and has) gleefully signed trade agreements that his negotiators have made where they see benefit to the USA. This doesn’t preclude Canada getting winning terms as well. The posturing is just that. Get to the table and negotiate, nothing is solved in bickering without negotiation
It’s really me, the REAL Donald Trump. Gotta go now, I’m making ammunition in the Oval Office. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Carney has been a total flop the past 16 months. He has not eliminated or lowered one tariff line item. He promised sectoral tariff deal by end of July 2025.
I love MAGA. Canadians are just cry babies as they have a weak and spineless leader who flip flops daily. Trump is an amazing American President.
Marc Carney promised to deal with trump and said we’d have a deal done by last summer…
Carney said to judge him by grocery store prices…
Elbows Down bozos
Other countries have made deals with Trump where they agreed to pay higher tariffs than Canada. Why are the Poilievre conservatives pressuring the Carney government to make a deal where we are paying higher tariffs? Conservative math ain’t mathing🤣
I’m so happy to be lnited by Trump, even though I am an uneducated idiot who doesn’t even know that a US president cannot serve more than two terms. I’m also a trollbot who is in reality a 40-year-old man living in my mom’s basement. I have to go now, my lunch is ready.
Nikki Sudds
July 28, 2026 at 4:19 pm
Trump has made deals with other countries already like Japan, S. Korea, India. Funny how Elbows Canadians say you can’t get a deal with Trump as Carney has failed to do so to date.
You call those deals? He has not made any significant deals He’s pushed and bullied his way into some sort of bully pact, basically these countries gave him what he wanted to shut him the f8ck up as their leaders are c*wards.
I feel nothing for Carney. He’s a c*ward on the run. Its the rest of us, Trump and you f8cking MAGA p*kes should worry about.
Leblanc and better come back with just renewal of contract or don’t come back.
The only thing Leblanc knows is when the dinner bell rings. He is absolutely useless.
MAGA is amazing. The best thing ever for USA. The movement is so strong and America has never been so Inited I wish Trump could do a third term.
I have zero confidence in Carney or his Liberal hacks like Leblanc. MAGA has no respect for these characters.
Why are there so many inane Ben Dover comments?
It would not be a surprise if crusty freeloader and happy socks Justin were Carly’s new negotiating team members, talk about totally ou of touch.
LeBlanc has had 20 years in politics and achieved nothing he’s a career failure that why he’s in the Liberal caucus.
No worries. Carney will replace US trade loss with his middle power buddies for new free trade agreements …Y’know the likes of Turks and Caicos, Mauritius, New Guinea, Iceland, Bahamas, Fiji, Andorra, etc, etc… yup, that’ll save us!
Ben calls Leblanc a “loyal Canadian”. Leblanc is a total Liberal crony looking after himself. In 2018 he was found breaking ethic rules -conflict of interest when awarded a lucrative surf claml licence to a close family friend. This is total corruption at it purest form.
Everyone get this through your heads, Trump said from the very start that he was going to absorb Canada through economic measure. Do you think he is going to stop because we ask.. Shut off all the energy products, make the Americans hurt like all Canadians are.
Leblanc will come back Leblank
Leblanc will come back empty handed. He has nothing of value to offer.
Lelanc couldn’t lead a piss up in a Dublin Pub. He is more useless than even Trudeau.
@David Lee. Respectfully, Poilievre entered into a compliance agreement with Elections Canada. If he resigns, I’ll consider Leblanc resigning. Honestly tho I did not know that about Leblanc. Assuming what you say is true what he did was unacceptable.
Ben. You realize Leblanc broke serious ethics rules when he was the Minister of Fisheries and Ocean and awarded a lucrative surf clam licence to a close family friend. If he had any honour, he would have resigned.
Leblanc, the Last of the Liberals.
He succeeds, and learns basic negotiation skills, or he fails and maybe becomes someone’s inspiration for a roast.
Glad to see the loyal Canadians in charge. Meanwhile, as reported, conservative MP’s are meeting with the Trump administration. Some question the loyalty of the conservative party to Canada.
Endless articles about tariffs and trade are very boring and I had my fill back in early 2025.
Maybe GlobaIist news could do story on the Fauxci diary?
It explains why he needed a pardon from Biden.
Trump has made deals with other countries already like Japan, S. Korea, India. Funny how Elbows Canadians say you can’t get a deal with Trump as Carney has failed to do so to date.
Why bother? Trump will just change his so-called mind tomorrow anyway.
Federal ethics rules were breached by Dominic LeBlanc in 2018 when he awarded a commercial fishing license to a company linked to a family member.
Liberals just dont learn. They keep doing the same thing over and over and over with the same results. A big fat zero! FIRE LE NOTHING AND BOOT CARNEY!
Trudeaus babysitter on his way to negotiate a good deal I am sure. Elbows UP
The biggest mistake Carney made was putting Leblanc on this portfolio. After over a decade in Cabinet, Leblanc has not one accomplishment under his time. The only noteworthy item on his record was that he was found quilts of breaking ethics ls rule ln 2018.
@Sam. Respectfully, European dairy is NOT let in dairy free, it has an import limit, like the US, after which tariffs are applied. Also aluminum, copper and steel tariffs were put on by the US first-a violation of CUSMA- before some Provinces stopped selling US alcohol.
The world will be a much better place when Trump kicks the bucket
The USA is upset at Canada because Canada charges over 250% tariffs on dairy but lets European dairy in duty free. That is a violation of CUSMA. Also banning of certain products like liquor from the USA and not other countries is a violation of CUSMA. Now the USA is finally putting its foot down and retaliating.
@Anonymous Respectfully, the US is asking way too much in negotiations. We already opened our dairy market to their poisonous hormoned dairy the last time. Alcohol is a Provincial responsibility. The US wants us to be the 51st state and that’s a hard no from me. There is no deal to be had until the US negotiates. We’ve compromised enough.
@Ben the only answer you have is to knock Poilievre who isn’t in a position to even try and negotiate with Trump. Carney is in power and he is doing nothing. All they while the standard of living in Canada is declining
Why make a deal when Trump has broken the deals he made with Europe and the UK? Well I’m glad the adults are negotiating rather than a former paperboy, Poilievre, who runs (not leads) the conservatives.
send in the clowns once more to “negotiate” CUSMA – at he is showing up this time. If Inept was a picture it would be him
🤣🤣🤣
NAZl JAMES BILODEAU F*CK OFF
The US is talking to Mexico but not to Canada. Canadians need to ask why isn’t Carney and this Liberal government doing all it can to open up talks with the USA and Mexico