US President Donald Trump’s prices In Canada, cannot be “completely deleted” under a future trade agreement, says the American ambassador, but the two countries are on the path of a stronger relationship.
Pete Hoekstra, who is Trump’s envoy to Canada, says that there are opportunities to obtain new economic and security partnerships on the foundation established by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to the White House last week.
“People have spoken of a restart or reset, and I escape myself in a way,” he told Mercedes Stephenson in an interview on Sunday The western block.
“Yes, we have had a few difficult months and these types of things. But we have solid economic ties, we have solid national security ties, we have personal links. … There are so many things in this foundation. We will be stronger in the future and looking at the Prime Minister and the President, they both want the same result.”
However, Hoekstra said Canada should expect a certain level of prices on its exports as part of a new trade agreement, even a lower rate than it is currently faced.
He underlined the new Framework with the United Kingdom announced last weekWho has kept a basic American rate of 10% while opening the British market to more American goods, as “an example of the place where we are going to evolve in the future”.
“I’m not sure they will be completely deleted,” said Hoekstra, referring to Canadian prices.
“There are problems that are difficult to negotiate and speak. But I think the two leaders want it to be behind us and, once again, focus on creating a framework that will strengthen and bring prosperity to the two countries, and we don’t know exactly what the final agreement can look like.”
Since entered the White House in January, Trump has taken 25% of Canadian products prices, with a 10% rate for energy exports, citing concerns about fentanyl and migrants entering the United States of the North. The automotive, steel and aluminum sectors of Canada are also faced with 25% of prices, and the stains on tender wood have been increased.
Although exemptions have been made for goods exported as part of the Canadian Mexico Agreement on Free Trade (CUSMA), prices have wreaked havoc on the economy of Canada with The possibility of a recession that is looming.
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The White House previously said that Canada faces a basic rate rate of 12% in the event that fentanyl rates are deleted.
Hoekstra said commercial talks between Canada and the United States are held in order to update CUSMA – which Trump called “transitional” – when it comes to renegotiation next year, but other problems like fentanyl are also discussed.
The ambassador seemed to confirm that fentanyl was not the main reason for Trump’s prices, despite The regular public complaints of the president concerning fatal opioids, including last month that last month.
Less than one percent of the fentanyl in the American borders come from Canada, according to customs data and the protection of American borders, which found that fentanyl crises on the northern border are at their lowest level in two years.
“How can we get to the point where we are a North American continent without fentanyl?” Hoekstra said when describing the conversations between Trump and Carney.
“None of our leaders wants to lose one more Canadian or another (American). We would be delighted to go to zero dead per day. This is the kind of goal.”
When asked if the Trump administration considers that Canada is a security threat, Hoekstra replied: “Define the security threat.”
“You are not a threat to America, but is it potentially a vulnerability?” He asked.
“This is why there was so much concentration on the Arctic. We must describe a plan, then we must implement this plan to ensure that the Arctic and our borders of the North are not a vulnerability. We can do it.”
Carney has promised to strengthen the security of the Arctic And obtaining Canada’s defense expenses to NATO’s target of 2% of GDP by 2030. The federal government spent less than 1.4% for defense last year.
Quickly bringing all NATO allies to the reference of two percent was an absolute priority for Trump dating from his first mandate. More recently, He asked that the threshold be high, five percent of GDPA level of level that no member of NATO – including the United States – has reached.
Hoekstra suggested that the administration gives Carney government time to establish its plan before making a judgment.
“The president has expressed articles that are important to him, are important to the United States of America-let’s give the Prime Minister and the government the opportunity to respond,” he said.
Carney’s visit to Washington to meet Trump was made just over a week after winning a minority liberal government in the federal elections.
Hoekstra said he hoped that an agreement between the two countries can be reached “relatively quickly” now that the Canadian elections are in the rear view mirror.
He said that meetings in camera, of which he was part, were as respectful as in front of the cameras in the oval office.
“They, I think, have established a personal link, which is important,” he said. “They talked about serious problems. They talked about national security. They talked about fentanyl. They talked about the Arctic. They talked about China.… And it was turned forward. ”
In particular, Hoekstra said he thought that meetings had suppressed any threat to Canada’s sovereignty, which, according to the ambassador, were never really serious and rather based on Trump’s “love” for Canada.
Trump has repeated his conviction that Canada should become the 51st American state at the meeting with Carney, who repeatedly resumed that Canada was “not for sale”.
“We went beyond the 51st state, at least as far as I am concerned,” said Hoekstra.
“The president can talk about it, but it is clear that if this discussion returns, it will be between the president and the Prime Minister. And they will take care of it just as they treated it on Tuesday: they both expressed their opinions with eloquence, with force, and (then said):” Ok, let’s continue. “”.
In the end, Hoekstra said: “I think the president wants a very positive relationship.”