U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer asserted that Canada declined to finalize a trade agreement with the United States nearly two weeks ago, walking away from what he described as "the best deal in the world." Greer, a top trade advisor to former President Donald Trump, detailed the preceding negotiations in an interview on "Special Report."
Greer stated that U.S. officials were willing to negotiate a revised agreement after Canadian authorities approached the administration. "We offered them the best deal. They looked at it square in the face and turned around," he told Fox News. He added that the proposed deal included terms on steel, aluminum, autos, and lumber, sectors sensitive to Canadian interests.
Following a handshake agreement between Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Canadian officials returned to Ottawa. Greer expressed uncertainty about the discussions that led Canada to reneve on the deal and request additional concessions. "When they came back, they wanted more, they wanted more tariff relief. It wasn't good enough to have the best deal in the world," Greer said. "These are things we couldn't accommodate."
Canada suspended trade talks on Aug. 21, with U.S. trade officials citing "new demands and walk backs of other commitments by Canada" that disrupted the negotiation balance. Greer countered characterizations that Canada had been "attacked," noting that the majority of Canadian goods enter the U.S. duty-free. He also pointed out that Canada, along with China, has retaliated against U.S. trade measures.
Greer indicated that Canada has imposed limitations on U.S. dairy sales and imports goods from China, which are then processed into other products for duty-free entry into the U.S. He believes Canadian leaders were negotiating in good faith but that the future of the trade deal now rests with Canada.
