LeBlanc says he believes U.S. will keep CUSMA trade deal with Canada, Mexico

The government minister in bill of Canada-U.S. Merchandise says he has no reason out to trust the Trump administration is preparing to tear up the free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, even though the U.S. President and some of his associates have suggested they may consider withdrawing from the pact.

"We believe, based on our conversations with the Americans, that for the moment that's not the objective the Americans have in mind," said Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Relations, in a year-end interview conducted in French this week with The Canadian Press.

The free trade agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada is up for review next year.

LeBlanc, the MP for the New Brunswick riding of Beausejour, said the Mexicans have a similar read of the situation: that the U.S. Will review the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement — known as CUSMA — rather than rip it up.

"It's very encouraging," said LeBlanc, whose past year has included numerous trips to Washington to negotiate with the U.S. In an effort to defuse the trade war initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump.

LeBlanc said the United States "calmly" launched its consultations for the review of CUSMA, and the American trade ambassador, Jamieson Greer, said the U.S. Would "follow a fairly traditional process for these kinds of agreements."

Asked if he felt discouraged or fed up at times with the level of progress in trade talks, LeBlanc said frustration is understandable.

"I understand businesspeople and workers in several sectors where the headwinds are much stronger, who are saying, 'There hasn't been any progress, or there hasn't been any visible advancement,'" LeBlanc said.

"We completely share that frustration."

Despite this, the minister is optimistic about the review of CUSMA, scheduled for 2026, and potential agreements to reduce sectoral tariffs targeting steel, aluminum and lumber industries.

"Our responsibility is to try to find the best solution, the workaround and how to navigate this, but calmly, without emotion, without panic," he added.

At the beginning of 2025, Trump carried through on his threat to impose tariffs on Canada and numerous other countries. Throughout the year, Ottawa managed to secure some reprieve and exemptions, but also saw the scope of several tariffs worsen.

Throughout the tariff saga, LeBlanc travelled to the United States to attempt to defuse the situation, often accompanied by Michael Sabia, the clerk of the Privy Council, and Prime Minister Mark Carney's chief of staff, Marc-Andre Blanchard.

Discussions with the Trump administration on trade remain suspended.

While LeBlanc described his relationship with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick as friendly, talks have been at a standstill since October, after Trump called off trade talks in response to an ad from the Ontario government about the negative impacts of tariffs.

"We were certainly disappointed, because we felt we were moving into a level of detail that was previously absent," LeBlanc said.

More recently, LeBlanc visited Mexico, which is Canada's third-largest trading partner. Heading into the new year, LeBlanc said there is certainly more energy and focus on the Canada-Mexico relationship than at the start of 2025.

"I think we, as a country, haven't sufficiently appreciated the extraordinary potential with Mexico in terms of bilateral economic relations," LeBlanc said.

But he says he doesn't believe the relationship with Mexico has been ignored.

"I don't know if I would have used the word 'neglected,'" LeBlanc said. "Perhaps we haven't taken the time or the energy to engage with our Mexican counterparts until Mr. Carney went there in September."

Carney travelled to Mexico City in early September to meet with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

LeBlanc visited Mexico just last week to continue discussions. Next February, LeBlanc will lead a bilateral trade mission to that country, which is expected to be the biggest bilateral trade mission ever in terms of participants.

"It's a growing economy. It's an increasingly industrialized economy," LeBlanc said. "We also face the same challenges in the review of CUSMA."

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