The prime minister of Canada, Mark Carney, has described as "good" and "constructive" the conversation he held this Sunday with the president of the United States, Donald Trump, in the context of the conversations aimed at defining the basis of a possible "mutually beneficial" trade agreement for both countries.
Through a message posted on his social networks, Carney has indicated that this first exchange makes it possible to deepen the general lines of the recent dialogue, with the goal of reaching a treaty that "creates jobs for workers, reduces the cost of living for families and fully respects the languages, culture and sovereignty of Canada". He also specified that the negotiating teams of the two governments will continue working during the coming weeks to try to close a satisfactory outcome.
After the phone call, the U.S. president, Donald Trump, has ratified that there exists "the concept of an agreement that will be excellent for farmers and for the United States, and that will also be good for Canada". The White House, for its part, has reiterated its support for the talks to continue in order to "concretize a pact that delivers significant results" to the U.S. citizenry.
However, sources from the Canadian Government cited by CBC News underscore that the negotiations still face important unresolved obstacles, among them the treatment of the automobile sector and tariffs on steel and aluminum. Last month, these same sources ruled out that an agreement could be reached imminently before the midterm elections, which are being held this Tuesday in the United States.
The current negotiating process is taking place after the breakdown of the dialogue table last August, a clash that led to the reciprocal imposition of tariffs between Canada and the United States.