President Trump is considering whether to exempt tariffs of steel and aluminum for Canada

President Trump is considering whether to exempt Canada's steel and aluminum tariffs, and Canadian officials hope the issue will be resolved soon, the representative of President Trump said at an event in Ontario on Friday.

 

U.S. ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft told a BBS hosted by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce that "the President Trump is reviewing steel and aluminum tariffs." President Trump recently had a conversation about this issue with Canadian ambassador David MacNaughton. They had a friendly, candid discussion.

 

MacNaughton, who was present at the BBS, said he wanted the matter resolved "as soon as possible", because now that talks on a new North American free trade agreement are over, there is no need for the tariffs to continue.

 

The White House initially set tariffs exemptions for Canada and Mexico, but in June canceled those exemptions to pressure the two countries to sign the new North American Free Trade Agreement together as soon as possible during negotiations.

 

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, President Trump acknowledged that the tariffs were primarily intended to force concessions from trading partners." I negotiated with tariffs," he said, noting that the USMCA deal was evidence.