ZCZC
BCN-30
CANADA-US-MEXICO-TRADE-DIPLOMACY
Ooh, popsicles! Canadian official takes pity on melting reporters
WASHINGTON, Aug 31, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – On a sweltering, swampy summer day,
Canada’s foreign minister surprised the two dozen journalists covering the
trade talks between the United States and Canada with a cool treat on
Thursday.
On one of her many trips into the office of US Trade Representative Robert
Lighthizer, Chrystia Freeland stopped in front of microphones, cameras and
recorders, to make a brief statement on the status of the negotiations and
then delivered a paper bag full of popsicles.
Sweaty but grateful reporters, some of whom have been camped outside the
USTR every day for two weeks, descended on the lime and raspberry-lemon-
strawberry treats.
It is nearly 90 degrees F (32 degrees Celsius) in the US capital, with
high humidity, not a cloud in the sky and nowhere nearby to hide from the
sun.
Freeland, a former journalist for Reuters, said she remembered how hard it
was to wait for the news. She regularly stops to talk to reporters to update
them on the status of the talks to rewrite the North American Free Trade
Agreement, even with a short comment.
American officials have not addressed the press at all.
The Mexican delegation, however, bought full meals from McDonald’s over
the weekend for reporters on duty.
BSS/AFP/HR/1022