U.S. Ambassador to Canada Peter Hoekstra says the United States won’t commit to reaching a new trade agreement with Ottawa by July 21, a date cited by Prime Minister Mark Carney as the target for a deal.
Hoekstra added that Canada will likely have to pay “some level of tariff” like all countries.
“I’m not going to commit to a date,” Hoekstra said during a July 4 interview with CTV News when asked if the two countries were on track to reach a deal before the deadline.
The July 21 date was cited by Carney and other Canadian officials after the prime minister and U.S. President Donald Trump met during the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., on June 16 and agreed to reach a deal within 30 days. After Trump said he would end trade negotiations with Canada due to Ottawa’s digital services tax on June 27, and Canada subsequently rescinding the tax on June 29, Carney said his government is back on track to reach a deal with Washington by July 21….