By Tom Howell Jr. (The Washington Times)
President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney say they are making progress on an agreement to settle their nasty trade dispute.
Mr. Trump said the countries are “very close to having a deal.”
“We have the concept of a deal that’s going to be great for our farmers, great for our country, and it’ll be fine for Canada,” the president told reporters during a campaign trip Sunday.
Mr. Trump said reviving the Keystone Pipeline, a major oil-transit project halted by then-President Biden, would be a key plank of the emerging deal.
“They’re going to build the Keystone Pipeline. They’re going to pay for it,” Mr. Trump said of Canada. “They’re going to pay for all of it. We’re going to give them the route, and it’s largely been determined.”
The Keystone project runs from Alberta, Canada, to refineries in the American heartland. Environmental and indigenous groups have opposed it.
For years, Democrats have worked to stop the project, though Mr. Trump pushed to restart it.
The U.S. and Canada are locked in a bitter trade war after Mr. Trump imposed 50% tariffs on a range of Canadian goods, citing unfair treatment of U.S. producers.
Canada retaliated with dollar-for-dollar tariffs and is openly courting other nations as reliable partners.
Mr. Carney said recent talks with Mr. Trump produced a breakthrough.
“This builds on our recent constructive discussions on the outlines of a mutually beneficial trade deal that would create jobs for our workers, boost affordability for families, and fully respect Canada’s languages, culture, and sovereignty,” Mr. Carney said Sunday on social media. “Our teams will now be working in the coming weeks to deliver that outcome.”
Earlier this year, Trump administration officials accused Ottawa officials of spoiling trade talks for political reasons. Now, both countries are poised to move beyond key elections, with the U.S. set to vote on the makeup of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
The U.S.-Canada trade spat spilled into key campaigns.
Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican facing reelection, is seeking tariff exemptions for Canadian products that Maine economies use. Border-state Michigan has a hotly contested Senate race.
Mr. Trump on Sunday highlighted the potential benefits of a deal for farmers, a key part of his political base.
“Our farmers were paying tremendous tariffs to send things to Canada,” the president said. “All those tariffs will be gone. There will be no tariff.”
This article was made available to WMAL via The Washington Times.
