Canada’s premiers met at the White House Wednesday with two senior officials in President Donald Trump’s administration for a discussion they described as frank and constructive, but that nevertheless ended with no guarantees punishing tariffs could be avoided.
The meeting with Mr. Trump’s deputy chief of staff James Blair and Sergio Gor, director of the Presidential Personnel Office, capped off a two-day visit to the capital. Premiers said they pressed the case that Canada is a willing economic partner as well as a sovereign nation that will never join the United States as the 51st state, as Mr. Trump has repeatedly suggested.
It was the latest push by provincial and federal officials in a months-long campaign to head off damaging tariffs. The effort began in November when Mr. Trump said he would add a 25-per-cent levy on all Canadian and Mexican goods. Mr. Trump put those tariffs on pause earlier this month until at least March 4. This week, however, he announced 25-per-cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, including from Canada, beginning March 12.
President Donald Trump substantially raised tariffs on steel and aluminum imports on Monday to a flat 25 per cent "without exceptions or exemptions" in a move to aid the struggling industries but which increases the risk of a multi-front trade war. Syakir Jasnee reports.
Reuters
The premiers’ Washington trip took place as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made similar arguments in Brussels where he was attending a Canada-European Union Leaders’ Meeting. He warned that tariffs would cost jobs in the U.S. as he repeated Ottawa’s threats to retaliate.
All 13 premiers, along with federal Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, met with U.S. lawmakers and businesspeople on the tariff issue. In the end, 11 of the premiers sat in on the meeting with Mr. Blair and Mr. Gor at the White House, with Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King and Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston departing early.
Mr. LeBlanc, along with Canada’s ambassador to the United States, Kirsten Hillman, also met Wednesday with Mr. Trump’s commerce secretary nominee, Howard Lutnick, as well as top economic adviser Kevin Hassett.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting at the White House, B.C. Premier David Eby said there were some “very frank moments across the table” and that the U.S. officials urged the premiers “to take the President at his word, and so we will certainly do that,” he said, referring to Mr. Trump’s complaints about border security and fentanyl, his stated rationale for imposing tariffs on Canada.
“If these are the key points of frustration for the President, we want to take action on those things,” Mr. Eby said.
He said the premiers expressed in no uncertain terms that Canada would not be joining the United States. “We had frank conversations about the 51st-state comment where we underlined that that was a non-starter.”
Responding on social-media platform X, Mr. Blair said the officials “never agreed that Canada would not be the 51st state. We only agreed to share Mr. Eby’s comments,” he wrote.
“Further, we said the best way to understand President Trump’s position is to take what he says at face value.”
Mr. Blair called it a “pleasant meeting” with the premiers.
Canada, Mexico and the European Union condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports next month, a move that has fanned fears of a trade war.
Reuters
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who chairs the Council of the Federation, the group that represents the premiers, called the meeting a “very constructive conversation.”
“We appreciate the Trump administration facilitating this literally in the last minute,” Mr. Ford told reporters outside the White House.
“We’re grateful. We listened, we communicated and we look forward to further conversations.”
If the across-the-board tariffs that have been put on pause do come into force, they would stack on top of the tariff on steel and aluminum, pushing that levy to 50 per cent, a White House spokesperson confirmed on background. Mr. Trump also said he would impose reciprocal tariffs as soon as Wednesday evening on every country that charges duties on U.S. imports, though he has yet to provide details.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr. Trudeau said a trade war with Canada will cost the United States jobs regardless of whether Mr. Trump’s tariffs go as high as 50 per cent on products such as steel.
“Regardless of the level of tariffs that eventually the administration might move forward on, we will be equally unequivocal in our response,” the Prime Minister told journalists in Brussels.
Mr. LeBlanc, speaking after his meeting with Mr. Lutnick, said he shared Canada’s concerns around steel and aluminum trade with the U.S.
“It’s important to our economy, but it’s also essential to their economy as well,” he said, adding that they had a “rather detailed conversation” around those sectors and the Americans’ concerns.
He said he will continue to work with the Trump administration on the review that Mr. Lutnick is leading on U.S. trade relationships, expected to be completed by April.
“We now have I think a good understanding of their process markers over the next number of weeks. And they were very clear that Canada very much has their attention, and they want to work with us to structure an economic deal that’s in the interest of both countries,” he said.
“That to me was also a very positive take-away.”
The Council of the Federation retained an American lobbying firm at a cost of $85,000 a month to facilitate discussions with U.S. officials and decision-makers, according to records filed with the Department of Justice. The services began Feb. 1, according to the records.
Asked about the cost, Mr. Eby said, “It’s really important that we’re in these rooms and we’re having these conversations with key personnel.”
The B.C. Premier said the U.S. officials urged the premiers to continue meeting with key personnel once they are confirmed, including the commerce and trade secretaries.
With reports from Steven Chase and Mark Rendell
