A bipartisan group of United States senators were in Ottawa Monday to tell Canadian tourists “we miss you,” even as U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick vowed that the tariffs on Canada were here to stay.
Democratic senators Ron Wyden of Oregon, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Catherine Cortez-Masto of Nevada were joined by Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska as they met Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday.
A readout of the meeting from the Prime Minister’s Office said Carney and the U.S. senators discussed “the important economic impact of Canadian businesses in the senators’ home states” and “the sectors most impacted by the shifting trade landscape,” including the steel industry.
They also discussed work to strengthen continental defence and security at the Canada-U.S. border as well as combatting the fentanyl crisis in both countries, the readout said.
“As Canada negotiates a new trade and security relationship with the U.S., the Prime Minister affirmed his focus on securing the best deal for Canadians,” it said.
Hassan told reporters after the meeting that her home state of New Hampshire has felt the impact of Canadians avoiding the United States for tourism.
“The Granite State sends you our greetings and says we miss you, because we know that the instability in our relationship right now has meant that some Canadians have decided to stay away from their favorite American tourist spots, and we hope you will come back,” she said.
This comes a day after Lutnick said in an interview with CBS’s ‘Face The Nation’ that 75 per cent of goods traded under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement (CUSMA) were tariff-free already and that the tariffs on Canada are here to stay.
“The president understands that we need to open the markets. Canada is not open to us. They need to open their market. Unless they’re willing to open their market, they’re going to pay a tariff,” Lutnick said in the interview, which aired Sunday morning.
The visit from U.S. senators also comes as fewer Canadians are choosing to travel to the U.S., with consecutive months of travel declines reported by Statistics Canada.
“I will say we are seeing a decrease in the travel from Canadians to Nevada. Thirty per cent of our international travel are Canadians, and we’re seeing an impact to our state,” said Cortez-Masto.
Senators talk trade, security
The group of four U.S. senators said they discussed trade, Arctic defence and border security with Carney.
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“We ought to be trying to reinvigorate the U.S.-Canada-Mexico agreement. And all of my colleagues share that view,” Wyden told reporters after meeting Carney.
Last month, Carney announced that he was rescinding the digital sales tax, just two days after Trump terminated talks over the levy.
Wyden said they urged Carney on Monday to introduce a bill in Parliament to make the change permanent.
“The prime minister was receptive to that. He said he would get on it in the fall,” he said.
He added that the two sides talked about the deadlock over softwood lumber trade.
“We now have a clear idea of how to proceed, and that’s to build around some sort of quota arrangement. And the prime minister said he was open to that,” he said.
Murkowski said they had “good conversation this morning, not only with the Prime Minister, but also with the minister of foreign affairs,” over the need to strengthen Arctic security.
When asked about Trump’s repeated threats to Canada’s sovereignty, she said, “I cannot explain President Trump’s rhetoric about the 51st state. That is his statement, but I think it has been made very, very clear that most view that as nothing more than a positioning statement.”
She added, “I don’t think that that’s constructive, quite honestly. Certainly here in Canada you can sense that there is a direct hostility, if you will, to that suggestion.”
The Prime Minister’s Office said Monday that negotiations with the U.S. will continue this week, with Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc set to travel to Washington, D.C., for talks.
Carney’s chief of staff Marc-Andre Blanchard was in the U.S. capital last week “to advance negotiations,” the readout said.
What premiers say
Canada’s premiers gathered in Ontario’s cottage country on Monday with trade on top of the agenda.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said it was important to “find ways to access (new) markets (and) trading partners and try to get our relationship with our U.S. partner back.”
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said Canadians would have to accept “the reality that we won’t get to zero (tariffs) on each and every topic” in a trade deal with the U.S.
However, he added, “I want us to get as close to zero on as many items that we possibly can.”
The premiers also urged Canadians to buy more Canadian-made goods.
“We’re encouraging all provinces and territories start buying Canadian-made vehicles, start buying Canadian-made everything. That will hurt them more than anything at all. We’re their number one customer,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault said, “There’s no question about negotiating the supply management for dairy and other products.”
He added that Canada should hold firm on the Aug. 1 target date to reach a new trade deal because the country could not afford uncertainty.
“It’s important, and I want to talk to Mr. Carney tomorrow, to have a duration,” Legault said.
“Right now, our economy in all of Canada suffers because of the uncertainty.”
Carney is heading to Huntsville on Tuesday to meet with the premiers.
—With files from Global’s Sean Boynton
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