Dominic LeBlanc believes the Americans will ultimately realize they’re “better off” with a trilateral trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, suggesting he has no reason to think the Trump administration is about to tear up the existing deal.

It’s now the Carney government’s focus, the New Brunswick MP, who is the federal minister responsible for Canada-U.S. relations, said in an interview.

Hopes of sectoral deals, to blunt the pain of Trump’s punishing tariff regime, are less and less likely, LeBlanc suggests.

And he believes the potential linchpin to a renewed free trade agreement hammered out in the year ahead includes a crackdown on foreign goods, including Chinese-made content, finding its way into the U.S. market through a back door.

“That’s why I think there will ultimately be a

See Full Page