Trump tariff talks with Canada go down to the wire

WASHINGTON – President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney were burning up the phones Tuesday ahead of a midnight deadline for a trade deal but the White House is downplaying odds of it happening.At stake: 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products, ranging from hockey sticks to wine and cheese.Administration officials, as of Tuesday afternoon, said there was no resolution in sight to prevent the retaliatory tariffs from going into effect at 12:01 am.Carney, speaking to reporters on Monday, described the talks as “very delicate and intense.” He indicated that he was ready to retaliate should a deal fail to materialize.Any break through will be announced by Trump himself, a US official said, calling everything else “baseless speculation.”Trump and Carney spoke at least twice in the past 24 hours: once on Monday and again on Tuesday.Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Chief Trade Negotiator Janice Charette have been in Washington DC for several days for in-person meetings with USTR Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.The White House described the tariffs as payback for Canada’s own taxes on US goods, particularly on American autos, alcohol and dairy. These tariffs are separate from the retaliatory action President Trump has threatened against Ottawa for the wildfire smoke that drifted across the border and clogged up American skies.

He’s accused America’s neighbor to the north of poisoning US air with it smoke.The president told The Post earlier this month he’s decided on a punishment for Canada but was not ready to announce it.Canada is the third largest source of imports for America.

The products affected by the new tariffs would include consumer goods, but also building materials such as cement and plywood. Energy products, potash, fish and critical minerals are excluded from the tariff list.The US goods trade deficit with Canada was $46.4 billion in 2025, according to the Office of the US Trade Re...