Carney says Canada–U.S. trade talks making progress, no deal yet; Canada will never abandon NATO allies

Prime Minister Mark Carney said in Manila on Saturday (Nov. 14) that he held a long, substantive call with U.S. President Donald Trump before his trip to Asia, and that Canada and the United States are making progress toward a trade deal, though no agreement has been reached yet.

Carney said U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles also took part in the call. He stressed that Canada will not accept a deal with the United States that harms the long-term viability of its auto industry; auto provisions are among the thorniest issues in the talks, and Ottawa's goal is to preserve a profitable path for Canadian auto production.

On NATO: never abandon an ally

At the same news conference, Carney also addressed European security. He said that as a NATO member, Canada “will never abandon any NATO ally,” and that the security architecture of a free Europe should be decided by a free Europe and NATO, not by Russia. The remarks come against the backdrop of European concern that U.S.-led talks on Russia and Ukraine could reorder the security order.

Another result from the same trip is already in

During the Manila visit, Canada and the Philippines announced the conclusion of free-trade negotiations. As reported earlier today, it is Canada's first free-trade agreement with an ASEAN member and is seen as part of the Carney government's push to diversify trade and reduce reliance on the United States. Progress in the U.S. talks and the NATO remarks are another thread from the same trip.

What comes next

Carney gave no timetable for the talks and did not say how the differences on auto provisions might be narrowed. As negotiations continue, the arrangement for the auto sector, and how Canada balances the U.S. talks with its European allies, will be the key things to watch.

(File photo: Carney in Manila in October. Photo: Reyfort Media)