U.S. ambassador to Canada says trade talks will ‘take a while’

Mike Le Couteur speaks with U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra about the future of Canada-U.S. trade negotiations.

U.S. ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra says the current stage of trade negotiations is slow moving, but not stalled.

“It’s going to take a while to work through it,” Hoekstra said in an interview with CTV News Senior Political Correspondent Mike Le Couteur on Tuesday.

“There’s a lot of issues that are still on the table ... the next few weeks are going to kind of be slow,” he said. “(U.S. President Donald Trump has) got some other priorities.”

While Hoekstra insisted that Canada remains a priority, he noted that Washington is currently more focused on getting a deal with China.

“Canada is a priority,” he said. “But right now, the opportunity area ... is to do something, potentially, with China.”

Hoekstra also pushed back against the idea that the U.S. has unfairly targeted Canada with tariffs, saying the effective tariff rate on Canadian goods remains low.

“Our effective tariff rate is around five per cent,” he said. “You’re not going to find another country in the world that comes close.”

Hoekstra also criticized Canada’s retaliatory measures, saying they’ve placed the country in the same category as China.

“Your government officials have said, other than China, we’ve been the toughest against the United States in terms of retaliatory tariffs,” he said. “That’s not where we put you, but that’s how Canadian officials have described themselves.”

Despite those tensions, Hoekstra said he remains optimistic.

“Listen to your lead trade negotiator, Kirsten Hillman,” he said. “What did she say? Canada right now is in a very enviable position.”

‘Significant anxiety’ among Canadians: Nanos

Pollster Nik Nanos told CTV News Tuesday that while Canadians appear to be willing to give Carney more time to make a deal, pressure is increasing as they watch Trump reach agreements with other countries.

“Canadians are increasingly worried about Trump and the state of the trade negotiations,” Nanos said. “Concern on that front has been increasing over the last number of weeks, and between that and worry about jobs in the economy, what we have is a significant level of anxiety right now on the trade front.”

Nanos said despite the close attention Canadians have on the state of Canada-U.S. relations, Carney and the Liberals are still riding high in the polls, holding a double-digit lead over the Conservatives. However, as the months go on, there’s a risk of that support slipping if the trade war persists.

“To have any kind of timeline with Donald Trump, I think has a political risk,” Nanos said. “The big question is: how many times will Canadians be accepting of a prime minister that promises something, and that can’t meet a timeline, because of his counterparty Donald Trump not wanting to move forward?”

Nanos adds that Canadians want action, and in the absence of a Canada-U.S. deal, Carney should focus on delivering domestically on trade.

“He should realistically just call it the way it is, which is he can’t control the timeline, because it takes two people to agree to something to control the timeline,” Nanos said. “Not to give excuses, but just basically to say, ‘when Donald Trump’s ready to negotiate, Canada will be there in order to move forward on a trade deal.’”

‘We’re not throwing in the towel’

Last week, in the early morning hours after Trump’s latest deadline to get a deal passed without a new cross-border pact, the prime minister said while the federal government was “disappointed” by the U.S. escalating the trade war, Canada would continue to negotiate with the U.S.

Carney also said that as those talks unfold, the federal government would move to protect Canadian jobs and focus on building up Canada through breaking down interprovincial trade barriers and developing a series of major projects to strengthen the domestic economy.

Reaction from political leaders at other levels to the missed trade deadline and increased tariffs, were mixed. Ontario Premier Doug Ford called for swift retaliation, while Saskatchewan Premier pushing for Canada to drop its counter-tariffs on the U.S.

Others, including Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens, said Carney should keep all options on the table.

“I agree with the approach that let’s try and find a pathway that makes sense. But we’re not throwing in the towel here and giving away the farm simply because Donald Trump decides to continue to escalate on the tariff front,” Dilkens said Friday.

Over the last few days, trade experts and stakeholders have also repeatedly emphasized that while Canada’s current situation is not ideal, no deal – so long as CUSMA exemptions remain – is better than a bad deal, which is what they see other countries securing so far, comparatively.

With files from CTV News’ Mike Le Couteur