Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Thursday that Canada and the United States are now close to a fresh series of bilateral agreements that would underpin the renewal of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, calling the latest round of talks “the most constructive in months.”
Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc returned from Washington this week after meeting U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and Mr. Carney told reporters in Ottawa that the meetings had produced “real, measurable progress” on long-standing irritants in the continental pact.
Gordie Howe Bridge in the cross-hairs
The Prime Minister also confirmed that the delayed opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, the new road crossing between Windsor and Detroit, was held back at the direct request of Washington. He insisted the issue was “separate from CUSMA” and was tied to a series of unresolved technical readiness questions on the U.S. side of the border.
“There were a series of technical aspects that had to be worked through and a few of those technical aspects involve our American counterparts,” he said. “That has nothing to do with the broader trade file.”
What comes next
Officials in both capitals have privately said that they expect a working framework to be on the table by the end of next month, with formal negotiating rounds resuming in Mexico City in July. Mexico's Economy Secretary is due in Ottawa next week to coordinate the trilateral position.