The back and fourth of the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations continued Tuesday on both sides of the border.
As Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland arrived back in Washington, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned of what he termed “massive disruption” and job loses on both sides of the border if Washington follows through on threats to impose auto tariffs.
“I think it’s something that we obviously have to be aware (of), that the president is contemplating, but we don’t negotiate differently because of pressure tactics like that,” Trudeau told a radio audience in Winnipeg.
Freeland was set to meet with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthnizer before heading to Saskatchewan for a Liberal Party caucus meeting and could be returning to the U.S. capital later in the week.
Negotiators appear focused primarily on three key issues: dairy, culture and the Chapter 19 dispute resolution mechanism.
The two sides must submit an agreed-upon text to the U.S. Congress by Oct. 1 in order to join the agreement the U.S. with Mexico last month.
Meanwhile, figures provided to CBC News show that Canada collected nearly $300 million in July and August after Ottawa slapped U.S. imports with retaliatory tariffs.