\n
<\/p>\n
Prime Minister <\/p>\n
Mark Carney<\/p>\n
said his government is still in deep trade talks with the Trump administration despite recent comments from the United States president that suggested a deal with Canada wasn\u2019t a priority. <\/p>\n
Carney downplayed President <\/p>\n
Donald Trump<\/p>\n
\u2019s claim last week that the U.S. is not focused on Canada and <\/p>\n
may not reach an agreement<\/p>\n
on tariffs. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a negotiation,\u201d Carney told reporters on Monday. \u201cTake what\u2019s said in the public domain as part of that context.\u201d <\/p>\n
Talks with the U.S. \u201care at an intense phase,\u201d Carney said, and he pledged to only sign a pact \u201cthat\u2019s a good deal for Canada.\u201d <\/p>\n
Still, Carney acknowledged that it remains unlikely Canada can completely negotiate away Trump\u2019s <\/p>\n
tariffs<\/p>\n
. On Sunday, the European Union <\/p>\n
struck a deal<\/p>\n
that includes a baseline tariff of 15 per cent on most of its exports to the U.S. That echoed an earlier deal with Japan, which is also facing a baseline 15 per cent U.S. tariff. <\/p>\n
But Canada has a different trade situation than Europe does with the U.S., Carney said, pointing to the fact that Europe pledged to buy more American energy products, while Canada is a major energy exporter to its southern neighbour. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere are many aspects to these negotiations,\u201d Carney said, speaking in the Atlantic province of Prince Edward Island. \u201cThere is a landing zone that\u2019s possible, but we have to get there and we\u2019ll see what happens.\u201d <\/p>\n
Dominic LeBlanc<\/p>\n
, Canada\u2019s U.S. trade minister, is expected to spend much of the week in Washington ahead of Trump\u2019s Aug. 1 deadline, the date when the president promised to raise U.S. tariffs on Canadian imports to 35 per cent, up from 25 per cent. <\/p>\n