Prime minister Mark Carney and American president Donald Trump have direct talks to what could be a new trade agreement, the American ambassador for Canada said on Wednesday, but quickly added that he “confirms or denies” only an agreement is concluded.
“All the indications are that we could evolve towards a very positive agreement,” said Ambassador Pete Hoekstra about negotiations during a conversation by the fire with Mercedes Stephenson from Global News to the Canadian club of Ottawa.
“Until an agreement is announced, we will not know what is and we will not know if it is finalized.”
Before sitting with Stephenson, Hoekstra seemed to confirm a CBC report according to which a working document was exchanged between Ottawa and Washington describing the conditions for the potential agreement. The report did not say what these terms were.
However, he said later: “I do not confirm or deny anything” when the report was correct.
“You have a Prime Minister who is negotiating on the best interests of Canada, you have a president who is negotiating to obtain the best agreement for the United States of America,” Hoekstra told the crowd.
Carney has concluded a new agreement with the United States on trade, security and other bilateral problems an absolute priority of its new liberal government, after Trump imposed radical prices on Canadian products and several industries, including the automotive, steel and aluminum sectors.
Hoekstra suggested that Carney and Trump envisaged the next G7 leaders in Kananaskis, Alberta, as a “inflection point” for a potential agreement to announce.
“They were both going to be in the same place, they both go to Canada, and there would be a lot of questions if there is not something that is announced,” he said.
“Until it happens, it’s always a possibility.”
The Globe and Mail was the first to report last week that Carney was engaging in direct business discussions behind the scenes with Trump.
After Stephenson said there had been “in -depth talks” between Carney and Trump, Hoekstra whispered: “Shh – Some people said it was secret.”
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“Someone came back and said they were secret talks, and it’s like, I don’t know how it would be secret,” he said. “I would hate to see if he was wide open and transparent.”
Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford said last Thursday that the two leaders were in “deep and deep discussions” on trade and “worked hard 24 hours a day to try to obtain an agreement”.
The Minister of Industry, Melanie Joly, would not confirm that the discussions would have taken place when they were asked later by the journalists in Ottawa.
“Guys, do you really think I will answer this question?” She answered. “I will not answer this question. We will not negotiate in public and we will let the Prime Minister do his job. ”
She also declared in French that there had been “diplomatic discussions” between Carney and Trump, but the characteristics of the commercial and security negotiations that take place between the Trump administration and the main ministers of the Canadian office.
Joly and other ministers did not address the potential of an imminent agreement with the United States during the question period in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
The Minister of Industry said Canada “will continue to fight” to have the American rates removed as negotiations continue.
What could an agreement include?
Hoekstra clearly indicated that he had not seen any transaction framework or other documents from negotiations, but he hinted that he will probably focus on the fact that Canada is included in supply chains for things like automotive manufacturing and critical minerals.
“I think you will see that this will understand (that) we must be able to do so (in the United States) or we must be able to do so in conjunction with a supply chain which is reliable,” he said. “We know Canada is reliable.”
He added that it would be “reasonable” that the two countries had a “very, very serious” discussion on the partnership on the growth of the North American sector of artificial intelligence and the sharing of energy resources.
“This should be part of any agreement-whether a part of this first agreement or if they are identified as a field of discussion or negotiation in the future,” he said.
“These are two leaders in a hurry to advance things that are absolutely essential,” he added. “And yes, the pace is unprecedented, but the wait is that the results can be unprecedented.”
Defense partnerships will also be discussed in any framework, said Hoekstra, as well as border security cooperation.
Carney announced earlier this week An investment of more than $ 9 billion in military spending, which he said will guarantee that Canada is responding to both percent of NATO GDP defense expenses.
Hoekstra said the United States was “delighted” by efforts to accelerate defense expenses.
Liberals last week filed a new security and immigration invoice for borders This aims to set new limits to asylum and extend the powers of application of the law to combat fentanyl and cross -border crime.
The government has said that the bill, which is based on new investments in border security unveiled for the first time last December, responds to the concerns raised by the United States
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