Pledge to reach GDP goal ‘will earn Canada a little bit of a pass' ahead of NATO summit: analyst

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Political analyst Lori Williams on what to expect from Prime Minister Mark Carney when he heads to Belgium for the NATO summit.

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CBC

2 hours ago

• CBC

Canadian ambassador says there's a 'good path forward' to a trade deal with the U.S.

Social Sharing Canada's ambassador to the United States, Kirsten Hillman said she "firmly" believes that both countries could reach a trade deal within the 30-day deadline discussed at the G7 summit in Alberta last week. "We can't do anything to force the U.S. side to come to a deal, but we do think we have a good path forward if we're able to take it," she said during an interview on Rosemary Barton Live that aired on Sunday. Hillman said it's "too soon to tell" whether all U.S. tariffs imposed on Canada will be removed, and she stopped short of saying whether the federal government is willing to accept the continuation of some tariffs. "These are things that will work themselves out in the next number of weeks," she said. Canada is fighting for "open trade and stability" for Canadian workers and businesses, Hillman said during the interview. WATCH | Canadian ambassador to U.S. discusses ongoing trade talks: Canadian ambassador to U.S. 'firmly' believes in path to trade deal 4 hours ago Duration 9:16 Chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton speaks with Canadian Ambassador to the United States Kirsten Hillman about the ongoing negotiations between Ottawa and Washington. Hillman gets expanded role in Washington Prime Minister Mark Carney appointed Hillman as Canada's chief negotiator with the U.S. amid heightened trade tensions, CBC News has learned. This role comes in addition to her duties as Canada's ambassador to the U.S. Hillman previously worked on the team negotiating the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement during U.S. President Donald Trump's first term and as Canada's chief negotiator for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Her expanded duties now position her in bilateral talks as U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer's counterpart. Trade and defence talks continuing Since Carney and Trump set the 30-day deadline while meeting at the G7 in Kananaskis, Alta., on June 16, Hillman has had three meetings with her U.S. counterparts — one immediately following the leaders' bilateral, the second on the following day with Greer and another on Friday that included Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who is also the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade. More talks are planned throughout this week. The conversations with the U.S. are focused on different topics, including fentanyl, border security and Arctic defence, although the leaders are focused on tariffs. Hillman said it's still unclear whether defence and trade will be part of one deal coming within the next 30 days. Trump has said "many times" that he likes tariffs, Hillman said. "It's up to Canada to demonstrate we can achieve the same goals with the United States through other means that don't necessarily involve these punishing tariffs, especially on strategic goods." WATCH | PM may raise counter-tariffs on U.S. steel, aluminum if deal delayed: Canada to limit steel imports, may hike U.S. counter-tariffs next month 3 days ago Duration 2:20 Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced limits to foreign steel imports in a bid to prop up Canada's steel industry, which has been hit hard by the U.S. trade war. Canada may hike counter-tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum if a deal isn't reached by July 21. Steel tariffs still at 50% Just days after Canada and the U.S. set a 30-day deadline, Carney signalled he's willing to go higher with Canada's retaliatory tariffs if no agreement is reached. Canada's counter-tariffs on steel will go up or down, depending on trade progress by July 21, in response to U.S. metal tariffs that are now at 50 per cent. Industry Minister Mélanie Joly told CBC Power & Politics host David Cochrane that Canada is taking "measures like [it's] never done" in the free-trade era to protect the steel and aluminum sectors.

CTV News

5 hours ago

• CTV News

Pledge to reach GDP goal ‘will earn Canada a little bit of a pass' ahead of NATO summit: analyst

Watch Political analyst Lori Williams on what to expect from Prime Minister Mark Carney when he heads to Belgium for the NATO summit.

Canada News.Net

5 hours ago

• Canada News.Net

NATO summit to ditch Ukraine meeting Politico

The upcoming gathering of the US-led bloc will reportedly have a reduced agenda and issue no long communiques An upcoming NATO leaders summit in the Netherlands will have a shortened schedule, with the focus on Ukraine drastically reduced, Politico reported on Saturday, citing five people familiar with the matter. The summit, set to be held in the World Forum in The Hague from June 24 to 25, will only feature two main events - a welcome dinner at the Dutch royal family's castle and a single meeting of the North Atlantic Council instead of the usual two or three, according to Politico. There also will not be a meeting of NATO's Ukraine Council. Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky has been only invited to attend the welcome dinner, and it still remains unclear whether he will come, the outlet noted. The sources suggested the abbreviated schedule was a concession to the US and President Donald Trump in particular, who has repeatedly shown impatience with and shunned multilateral gatherings of a ceremonial nature. NATO officials reportedly pared down the agenda after the G7 debacle, when Trump abruptly left the summit in Canada halfway through the two-day program. He also reportedly opposed a draft joint statement on the Ukraine conflict, and the summit ultimately ended without one. The upcoming gathering is expected to yield no lengthy joint communique, with the bloc likely to produce only short statements on new commitments. Cuts to the agenda have also been attributed to a need to minimize the risk of derailing the main event of the summit, where members are expected to pledge to hike defense spending to 5% GDP. Trump has long demanded that NATO countries spend more on defense, and the new commitment will be regarded as a big "win" by the US president, the sources suggested. "He has to get credit for the 5% - that's why we're having the summit," a European defense official told Politico. "Everything else is being streamlined to minimize risk."