After a long meeting with the best sales officials of US President Donald Trump, Canadian representatives say they have a clearer understanding of the justification for Trump’s insistence on prices – not only in Canada but around the world.
“Prices are now a global policy in the United States,” said David Paterson, Ontario representative in Washington. “And this is a historical change in world trading models, and (the Americans are) very aware of it.”
Paterson, as well as the Prime Minister of Ontario, Doug Ford, Canada Ambassador to the United States, Kirsten Hillman and the federal cabinet ministers, met US Secretary Howard Larnick and US trade representative Jamieson Greer – Le Point on Trump’s commerce agenda.
In an interview on Power and politicsPaterson told the host David Cochrane that Canadians and Americans had a 90-minute meeting and that the first half hour was “a master class” by Lutnick by decomposing the American position on the prices.
The US government is faced with its annual deficit in federal spending, Paterson said. According to the US Treasury Department, the federal government ran an American deficit of 1.83 billion of dollars During the year 2024.
There are three things that the American government is doing that affects the deficit, added Paterson.
The first is a Major budgetary resolution This requires thousands of dollars in expenses and tax discounts, which is “something that should not increase this deficit more while keeping tax levels and low competitiveness,” said Paterson.
The other two are measures to help ensure that expenditure and tax reductions occur without increasing the deficit, in particular the reduction in public spending Elon Musk Government Department of Effectiveness And the prices, which are supposed to be a new source of income and attract investments in the United States.
Paterson said the American plan is to impose prices by sector across countries around the world on April 2. From there, countries that get along with the United States will be “first” to adjust or mitigate prices.
“This is politics. This is how they in the future,” said Paterson. “And I think that (Thursday) gave us a lot of clarity.”
In an interview on Rosemary Barton Live On Sunday, Hillman, Ambassador of Canada to the United States, said that the Americans had traveled Canadians thanks to Trump’s commercial agenda and gave them a chance to ask questions and explain how Trump’s commercial disruptions are damaging the Canadian economy.
Hillman described Reunion as “concrete” and appreciated the conversations, but she noted that nothing changed in terms of current trade war Between Canada and the United States
The ambassador told Rosemary Barton host that Americans know that Canada would respond to Trump’s prices on April 2 and that Trump’s team is “deeply concentrated” on this deadline.
“This is the rest of the world that will now be brought into their plan. And it is the singular objective (of the Americans),” said Hillman. “After that, we will see what they think the next step could be.”
After the Thursday meeting, Ford told journalists He has the impression that “the temperature is lowered, the temperature drops” after the bilateral talks.
“This, I can honestly say, was the best meeting I have ever known here. We want the best result for the two countries. We are like a family – sometimes there are tensions between families, but it was an extremely productive meeting. I feel positive,” said the Prime Minister.
Canada-Us Prices
The federal government announced on Wednesday a plan to slap prices on 29.8 billion dollars of American products to retaliate against Trump after imposing punistent prices on Canadian steel and aluminum.
Dominic Leblanc, who was Minister of Finance at the time of the announcement, said that Canada “will not be lazy while our emblematic steel and aluminum industries are unjustly targeted”.
Leblanc said that American products struck by these prices include steel and aluminum made in the United States, computers, sports facilities and certain cast iron products, among others.
The Minister of Finance, Dominic Leblanc, describes the Federal Government Plan to slap the prices on 29.8 billion dollars of American products to retaliate against US President Donald Trump after having imposed Canadian steel and aluminum tariffs.
Trump’s prices on all imports of steel and aluminum, which made vigor just after midnight Wednesday, are separated from the other prices that Trump levied from Canada last week – and Later, partly entirely entirely – Pushed the country supposedly to do more on the border of drugs and migrants.
Canada immediately raised prices over 30 billion dollars in American goods in response to these initial prices – and did not remove them even after Trump rejected his pricing diet.
All in all, Canada applies a price of 25% to some $ 60 billion in American products as recovery for prices related to Trump border and metals.
The government is also hold the prices On another $ 100 billion in American products which will be imposed if Trump goes ahead a third round From what he calls “reciprocal” prices on goods around the world on April 2.