LeBlanc told reporters after the meeting that these agreements would mark “the first step” toward future discussions addressing U.S. sectoral tariffs on other key Canadian industries such as lumber and automotive.
He added: “I believe we had a successful, positive, and substantive conversation with President Trump on trade matters,” LeBlanc said, emphasizing that this discussion was more detailed than previous high-level engagements. “We discussed ways to quickly reach an agreement that would bring better conditions for both countries in these critical sectors,”
LeBlanc stated that, by the end of the meeting, both leaders instructed their respective ministers and cabinet members to finalize agreements providing greater predictability in the steel, aluminum, and energy sectors as soon as possible.
When asked whether Prime Minister Carney would leave Washington “with a deal on tariffs,” Trump responded, “I think they’re going to be very happy. We’re working on a number of issues that people aren’t even talking about.”
Although Canada left the meeting without a concrete agreement, LeBlanc said that negotiations would continue at an accelerated pace and that new talks were already being planned.
“It’s understandable that people want to see results — and believe me, so do we. We will keep working on this,” LeBlanc affirmed, adding that Canada remains focused on the removal of U.S. sectoral tariffs imposed under Section 232 of the U.S. Trade Expansion Act on steel, aluminum, lumber, and other industries.
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