http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-21/trade-deals-with-u-s-high-on-agenda-at-trudeau-s-summer-retreat
Trade Deals With U.S. High on Agenda at Trudeau’s Summer Retreat
August 21, 2016 — 3:23 PM EDT
The U.S. presidential election is looming large in the Canadian government’s summer retreat, with U.S. trade ties among the discussion points for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet.
Trudeau and his ministers are holding a quarterly retreat in Sudbury, Ontario, on Sunday and Monday. The closed-door meetings include a presentation on Canada-U.S. relations led by the Canadian ambassador to Washington, David MacNaughton, and Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion, according to Trudeau spokesman Cameron Ahmad. Trudeau’s cabinet will further discuss U.S. trade during a “fireside chat” Sunday evening, Ahmad told reporters Sunday.
Canada and the U.S. are headed for conflict on trade issues including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement and on softwood lumber. The two nations are among the countries to agree initially to the TPP, though Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both say they oppose it. Trump has also vowed to walk away from the 22-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement if Mexico won’t agree to better terms.
One of the Trudeau cabinet meeting’s major focuses will “be on relationships -- relationships with the provinces, relationships with the United States and of course relationships with indigenous peoples,” the prime minister said in a brief statement entering the gatherings Sunday.
Trudeau has said he is strongly pro-trade while not endorsing or rejecting the TPP, which was agreed to by his predecessor. Trudeau and U.S. President Barack Obama committed in June to work toward a new softwood lumber pact after the previous deal expired last year, while acknowledging they remained far apart on key issues. Canadian softwood exports have increased during a one-year tariff grace period that expires in October. One Canadian official warned last week that major barriers remain in the way of any agreement.
Trudeau, whose domestic popularity continues to soar since his decisive victory in last year’s Canadian elections, has regularly avoided comment on the U.S. presidential campaign, saying he has confidence in American voters and will work with whomever is elected.
