Trump’s trade czar tells Canadians that ‘America First’ is policy, not a slogan: sources

United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Canadians looking for insights into the future of bilateral trade this week that “America First” is policy, not a slogan, and they should not expect a return to the way things were.

Sources who attended a roundtable with U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade czar in Washington on Wednesday told The Canadian Press that Greer was measured and pragmatic as he laid out the administration’s policy goals ahead of the coming review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico-Agreement on trade, better known as CUSMA.

About 40 people attended the event hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Canada, including Conservative MPs Jamil Jivani, Michael Chong and Shuvaloy Majumdar. Also in the room were multiple executives from oil and gas companies.

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Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S. Mark Wiseman sat two seats away from Greer during the meeting. Alberta’s Washington trade representative Nathan Cooper and Manitoba’s trade representative Richard Madan were also in attendance.

The meeting lasted more than an hour and the sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly about what was discussed, said Greer told attendees the Trump administration is not looking to disrupt the energy relationship between the two countries.

Greer said the United States is looking to work with Canada on energy and critical minerals development in ways that would be mutually beneficial to both countries, the sources said.

One source said Greer cautioned that Canada should not attempt to use those resources as leverage in negotiations on the trilateral trade pact.

Another source said Greer did not appear to be sending a warning. The source said Greer argued that if Canada is making the case for energy collaboration, it shouldn’t come with the condition of U.S. concessions.

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The continental trade pact is up for a mandatory review this year. It sets up a three-way choice for each country to make in July.

They can renew the deal for another 16 years, withdraw from it or signal both non-renewal and non-withdrawal — which would trigger an annual review that could keep negotiations going for up to a decade.

Greer has said it’s unlikely the United States will rubber-stamp the deal in July, indicating longer negotiations are on the way.

Greer was in Mexico last week and the first official CUSMA bilateral negotiating round between Mexican and American officials will take place next month.

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Ottawa still has not started formal trade negotiations with the United States. In an appearance before a House of Commons committee last week, Wiseman was grilled over whether the federal government was deliberately slow-walking the talks.

“Canada is ready and willing to commence any type of review process with the United States and also with Mexico,” Wiseman said on April 23. “We are ready to do that and are prepared to do so.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney was asked Thursday about the Conservative MPs’ diplomatic efforts in Washington and the possibility of those efforts affecting negotiations.

He said it’s not been the federal government’s experience that “people have gone to Washington and learned anything new, nor has it been that they have learned everything that is either being discussed on the table or where the negotiations are.”

“In the end, there is one negotiator for Canada and that is the government of Canada,” Carney said in Oakville, Ont.

Jivani, who represents Bowmanville—Oshawa North, counts Vice-President JD Vance among his close friends and has developed connections within the Trump administration.

At the Wednesday meeting in Washington, sources said Greer greeted Jivani with a handshake and they had a friendly disposition.

Sources said Greer told attendees that Canada has been difficult to deal with.

The trade czar said Canada is committed to its green energy transition — pointing to electrification and electric vehicles — and said that doesn’t align with U.S. policy.

Greer recently made similar comments on Capitol Hill when he told American lawmakers that Canada was “doubling down on globalization when we’re trying to correct for the problems of globalization.”

“So those are two models that don’t fit together very well,” Greer said.

Greer opened Wednesday’s meeting by providing a brief overview of the Trump administration’s objectives in trade. He said CUSMA puts Canada and Mexico in the best situation in the world when it comes to trade with the United States.

After his remarks, sources said, Greer largely spent his time listening to presentations from the oil and gas companies in attendance.

Negotiations between Canada and the United States were frozen last October when Trump was angered by an Ontario-sponsored ad quoting former president Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs.

Relations have thawed since and Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc met with Greer in Washington last month.

While Greer has complained publicly about Canada, sources said behind closed doors he is funny and respectful. Sources said it was helpful for Canadian companies to hear the U.S. perspective and Greer appeared willing to work with Canada.

Greer also maintained that the Trump administration’s objective is to reduce Canada’s trade deficit with the U.S, sources said. Canada’s trade deficit is linked to U.S. purchases of oil and energy.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 30, 2026.

— With files from Sarah Ritchie in Ottawa