Trade negotiations between the United States and Canada failed late Friday, clearing the way for the implementation of the 50% tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on about 20 billion dollars worth of Canadian products, after Ottawa refused to close a deal it considered unfavorable.
Read more More fight for pétanque
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer blamed Canada for the failure of the talks and stated that Ottawa refused to close the deal on the terms that, according to Washington, had been agreed upon earlier in the week.
“Tonight, Canada refused to finalize the trade agreement on the terms agreed upon earlier this week,” Greer said in a statement released Friday.
Greer assured that the United States had offered Canada “the best possible deal among the main exporters to our market,” but maintained that the new demands raised by Ottawa and the failure to meet other commitments “have disrupted the carefully established agreement.”
The Washington statement came after negotiations extended late into Friday without both countries reaching an agreement to avoid the implementation of the new tariffs.
Just hours before the talks failed, Trump had expressed optimism about the possibility of reaching an agreement with Canada.
Read more Outcry over the transfer to Valencia of Madrid Commuter Trains used for 23 years
The negotiations had progressed during the week to the point that the president had postponed the implementation of the new 50% tariffs to give more time to the negotiating teams.
For his part, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that his country had made significant progress during the talks, but that the last-minute changes proposed by the United States prevented closing an acceptable agreement.
The new tariffs affect, according to the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, imports from Canada worth about 20 billion dollars and cover products such as hockey sticks, some construction materials, alcoholic beverages, and certain types of clothing.
Carney warned that Canada will respond immediately to the U.S. levies and assured that Ottawa will match them “dollar for dollar” to protect its workers and businesses.
On Thursday, the Canadian minister responsible for trade relations with the United States, Dominic LeBlanc, met for several hours with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and said upon leaving that they were “very close” to reaching an agreement and would continue working until they achieved it.
Read more Spain responds to Morocco: Ceuta and Melilla “are part of the territorial integrity”
