Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc says it’s “over-optimistic” to expect a trade deal with the United States in the coming days, noting Canada is making progress but still has work to do to secure a deal.
The minister told reporters on Oct. 21 that while he’s optimistic by nature, he was “surprised” to see media reports published earlier that day that said Canada may sign a deal with the United States at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit next week.
The report LeBlanc referred to was first published in The Globe and Mail, which cited two anonymous sources familiar with the matter. It said the United States is not ready to make a deal on automobiles or softwood lumber, but that significant progress had been made over the past two weeks in negotiations on steel, aluminum, and energy, and could be ready to finalize….