Title: Carney: CUSMA Renegotiation Won't Solve All U.S. Trade Issues

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that the United States will continue to impose tariffs on specific sectors, even after the renegotiation of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). Discussions to update CUSMA are scheduled to begin next year, but Carney expressed skepticism about their ability to address all existing trade concerns.

"There are certain sectors — steel, aluminum, autos, forest products, pharmaceuticals — that the Americans have decided are strategic and they have trade actions against everybody in the world," Carney said during a press conference. He emphasized that Canada is focusing on these sector-specific tariffs, which he believes will remain in effect despite any revisions to CUSMA.

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc recently returned from Washington, where he engaged in high-level talks regarding trade and tariffs. He reported that discussions will continue with U.S. officials to seek tariff relief. LeBlanc noted on social media that there is still no deal to announce following his meetings.

During a meeting at the White House on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump indicated that tariffs on Canada would persist. He remarked, "We’ve always had tariffs between the two of us," referencing tariffs on U.S. agricultural exports, such as dairy products, that activate after reaching a certain quota. Trump also suggested that a renewed trilateral trade agreement is not guaranteed.

"We could renegotiate it and that would be good, or we could just do different deals. We’re allowed to do different deals if we want," Trump said, adding that he is indifferent to the outcome.

Despite the ongoing tariff challenges, the majority of Canadian trade with the U.S. remains tariff-free due to CUSMA, which Trump signed into effect in July.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum commented on Trump's remarks, stating that not all discussions regarding the trade deal need to be trilateral. However, she affirmed, "CUSMA is law in Canada, in the U.S. and in Mexico. It was approved by Congress. If you want to change it, there must be a profound revision of it."