Canada focused on tariff relief as it begins consultations on USMCA review, LeBlanc says

Federal minister Dominic Leblanc says Ottawa is open to a bigger deal with the U.S. if is one available 'that’s in the interests of the Canadian economy.'

Canada on Friday launched public consultations on the scheduled review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, but the priority remains obtaining relief from U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum, autos and lumber, federal minister Dominic LeBlanc said.

Mr. LeBlanc, who is responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, said he expects to return to Washington shortly to continue talks with his American counterparts.

He said Ottawa wants Canadians over the next few weeks to offer advice on how to approach the mandated review of the USMCA. “We’re looking for very specific suggestions from Canadian industry and Canadian workers in terms of what we mi