Even as he continued to blast Canadian dairy tariffs, President Trump said on Tuesday that “we’re getting there” in negotiations for the new NAFTA. Mexico and Canada will still have to change their policies, Trump said in a speech to small-business owners. “We can no longer be the stupid country. We want to be the smart country.”
With Canada, said the president, “we’re treated horribly. Dairy, dairy — 275 percent tariff. So basically, that’s a barrier without saying it’s a barrier.” The United States has proposed a phase-out of Canada’s supply management system for dairy, poultry, and eggs as part of the new NAFTA. Canadian Minister of Agriculture Lawrence MacAulay said last week that his country is committed to the system.
Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said there is “goodwill” among the three NAFTA nations as negotiations move into the summer, said the Financial Post, based in Toronto. Freeland consulted with U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer on Monday. “The bid to save NAFTA comes as the fear of a global trade war continues to grow,” said the newspaper.