Prime Minister Mark Carney says he had several informal discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump during the G7 summit, despite not having a scheduled bilateral meeting.
When asked by a reporter in France on June 17 why the two men did not hold a formal bilateral meeting, Carney replied, “I wouldn’t take a big message from that.”
Carney added that he had “seven or eight discussions with President Trump over the course of the last 36 hours,” about the economy, Canada-U.S. relations, artificial intelligence, Iran, and Ukraine.
Carney reiterated that there was “no message” in the lack of a bilateral meeting, and said Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc held discussions at the G7 with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Carney said Trump held a bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron because “you always have a bilateral with the host,” and with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Carney also said he discussed Trump’s recent 80th birthday with him. “I wished [Donald Trump] a happy birthday, he’s very pleased. I did give him a present, and he likes it a lot. But it’s not gold,” Carney remarked.
The G7 talks come as negotiations ramp up around the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). The first round of formal talks around the CUSMA review between the United States and Mexico ended last week and two more rounds have been scheduled for June and July. However, discussions between Canada and the United States have moved at a slower pace and formal talks have not yet taken place.
Carney told reporters on June 2 that there was a “bifurcated discussion” among CUSMA partners because the United States has different issues with Canada than with Mexico. Carney added that about 30 trade issues need to be worked out between Canada and the United States, compared with roughly 60 between the United States and Mexico.
LeBlanc also told a conference on June 11 that he believed Greer had witnessed “the progress that they have been looking for” when it came to Canada-U.S. trade talks. While the review of CUSMA is set for July, he said that deadline is “not a cliff,” and annual reviews of the agreement could instead take place for the next 10 years.
LeBlanc also said he expects there will be both bilateral arrangements between Canada and the United States and between Mexico and the United States, in addition to an “adjacent” trilateral framework.
Trump has repeatedly said that the United States does not “need” anything that Canada has, such as automobiles, lumber, or oil. U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra suggested during the June 11 conference that this was Trump’s way of urging Ottawa to make a satisfactory deal.
“You maybe don’t like the way the president says it, but taken in the tone of what he’s saying, is ‘we’re open to offers, make your case,” Hoekstra said.
Carney’s discussions with Trump at the G7 also come as the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Ontario and Michigan has been delayed at the request of the United States.
While Carney had told reporters on June 9 that the $6.4 billion project would open by the end of the week, the opening was later delayed. Carney said the delay was “no big drama” and the two countries would “work through” the issues.
Trump had criticized the bridge in February and said he would not allow it to open unless the United States was compensated for it. He said former U.S. President Barack Obama had signed a deal that did not benefit the United States. He said the country should “own” at least half of the asset, and there should have been a requirement to use American steel and workers in its construction.
Carney said a few days after Trump criticized the bridge that he explained to the president that Canada had paid $4 billion to build it, that ownership is shared between Canada and Michigan, and that both Canadian and American workers and steel were used to build the bridge.
Carney did not say whether he discussed the bridge with Trump at the G7 meeting.
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