Canada, US to Review Free Trade Deal in Mid-January

Canada and the United States will launch formal discussions to review their free trade agreement in mid-January, the office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said, Rob Gillies reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s point person for US–Canada trade relations, is set to meet with US counterparts in mid-January to launch formal discussions. (Photo: Dominic LeBlanc Facebook) 

Carney confirmed to provincial leaders that Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s point person for US–Canada trade relations, “will meet with US counterparts in mid-January to launch formal discussions,” according to a statement from the prime minister’s office late Thursday.

The United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) is up for review in 2026. US President Donald Trump negotiated the deal during his first term and included a clause allowing for its possible renegotiation that year.

Carney met with provincial leaders recently to update them on trade talks with Washington. Canada is one of the world’s most trade-dependent economies, with more than 75 percent of its exports going to the United States.

Most of those exports are currently exempt from tariffs under the USMCA.

Trump cut off talks in October aimed at reducing tariffs on certain sectors after Ontario’s provincial government ran an anti-tariff advertisement in the US. That followed months of tension—since eased—stemming from Trump’s repeated insistence that Canada should become the 51st US state.