ZCZC
BCN-17
US-CANADA-TRADE-DIPLOMACY
Canadian FM visits US Senate amid trade brawl
WASHINGTON, June 14, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Canada’s Foreign Minister Chrystia
Freeland met with US senators Wednesday aiming to cool down a fiery trade row
over “absurd” American tariffs that has sent ties between the longtime allies
plunging.
Freeland huddled behind closed doors with Senate Foreign Relations
chairman Bob Corker and other senators on the committee eager to repair the
fraying relationship after President Donald Trump cited national security
interests for slapping punitive tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.
Invoking national security — under Section 232 of a US trade law — as a
reason for the tariffs “is frankly absurd,” Freeland told reporters after the
hour-long meeting.
“I think Americans understand it’s simply not the case,” she said,
stressing the deep friendship between two nations that share the world’s
longest peaceful border.
Freeland has visited Washington often in recent weeks as Canada, the US
and Mexico engage in negotiations over modernizing NAFTA, the North American
Free Trade Agreement.
But Trump’s announced tariffs, and bald faced attacks against Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau after the G7 summit, have stunned Canada.
The neighbor to the north is now on track to impose what Freeland
described as “measured, dollar-for-dollar retaliation” tariffs on US goods
beginning July 1.
Freeland would not say what steps Ottawa wants the US Congress to take,
but she was clear about Canada’s demand on the Trump administration.
“The US has to remove these unfair illegal tariffs from Canada, and from
its allies,” she said.
“We really are confident that at the end of the day, common sense will
prevail.”
She stopped short of saying whether any US lawmakers apologized for
Trump’s trade actions, adding that Canadians “really value our relationship
with the United States.”
The Republican Corker has criticized Trump for attacking a vital ally, and
lashed out at leaders in his own party for refusing to schedule a vote on his
measure to let Congress approve or reject any tariffs imposed by the US
president.
A frustrated Corker said after the meeting it was clear “we’ve damaged
relations” with Canada.
“I don’t know of any senator that I know of on the Republican side that
has not expressed concerns to the president both about using 232 but also
just the random nature of how this has all been carried out.”
Democratic Senator Bob Menendez said he hoped Freeland would return home
and share with Canadians “that the view of the president is not the view of
all the American people” or a majority of senators.
Freeland said she will speak on Thursday with US Trade Representative
Robert Lighthizer, with whom she met on the sidelines of last weekend’s G7
summit.
BSS/XINHUA/HR/1100