Prime Minister Mark Carney is weighing attending the final draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Washington, a trip that would offer an opportunity to meet with Donald Trump.
Canada and the United States have not held formal trade negotiations since Mr. Trump broke off talks on Oct. 23, citing an Ontario government TV ad that criticized protectionist tariffs of the kind his administration has imposed on Canada.
Laura Scaffidi, lead press secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, said Mr. Carney is considering attending the Dec. 5 event at Washington’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Canada, the U.S. and Mexico are co-hosting the 2026 World Cup and the early December draw by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) will determine the groups that competing countries are placed in.
Prime Minister Mark Carney last met U.S. President Donald Trump at a private dinner in South Korea before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in late October.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
The last time Mr. Carney and Mr. Trump met face to face was at a private dinner in South Korea before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in late October.
Trump opens door to easing some steel and aluminum tariffs
Two sources familiar with the matter said it’s possible Mr. Trump and Mr. Carney could meet separately next week apart from the FIFA draw. The Globe and Mail is not identifying the sources because they were not authorized to discuss trade talks publicly.
On Sunday during a press conference in Johannesburg, Mr. Carney bristled when asked when he had last spoken with Mr. Trump.
“Who cares? I mean, it’s a detail. I spoke to him. I’ll speak to him again when it matters,” Mr. Carney said, noting that both he and the U.S. President had been busy.
The Conservative Party criticized Mr. Carney’s comments during Question Period Monday, noting U.S. tariffs on Canada have soared rather than declined since the Canadian leader took office.
“Let me tell everyone who cares. Over 3,000 forestry workers in Cariboo–Prince George who are out of work care. The communities that are being crushed by the softwood tariffs care,” MP Todd Doherty said, referring to his riding. “The communities where jobs are disappearing and mills are closing care.”
Opinion: Trump’s recent troubles are a blessing for Canada
It’s been eight months since Mr. Trump began imposing tariffs on Canadian imports and negotiations between Ottawa and Washington have so far failed to strike a deal that would reduce the levies.
The clock is ticking down on a scheduled 2026 review of the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement where the U.S. is expected to seek renegotiation of parts of the pact. If Canada doesn’t manage to reach a deal with Mr. Trump before this review, it’s likely the disputed tariffs could be folded into the USMCA renegotiations.
As the Canadian government has repeatedly said publicly, it does not want to wait for this. It wants to cut a deal on one group of the Trump tariffs: those imposed under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act in the name of national security. These include the 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, which do not receive an exemption under USMCA rules that otherwise shields most Canadian imports from current Trump levies.
The review and possible renegotiation of the USCMA would last for many months and possibly past the 2026 midterm Congressional elections next November. That would mean the 232 tariffs could remain in place for another year at least.
Mr. Trump’s anger over the Ontario government TV ad effectively closed a negotiating window of opportunity for Mr. Carney to reach a tariff deal. The question remains whether the Prime Minister can find another opportunity with the U.S. President, including the FIFA draw Dec. 5.
There are signs that the U.S. President is backtracking on his tariffs in the face of inflationary concerns from voters and businesses. In mid-November Mr. Trump rolled back tariffs on more than 200 food products from Argentina, Ecuador, Guatemala and El Salvador, such as coffee, beef, bananas and orange juice, in the face of growing angst among American consumers about the high cost of groceries.
With a report from Reuters