Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday urged President Trump to remove steel and aluminum tariffs implemented by the U.S. earlier this year during public remarks at the G-20 summit in Argentina.
This story by John Bowden originally appeared in The Hill.
Speaking at a ceremony for the signing of an updated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Trudeau called on the U.S. to remove tariffs that affect Canadian steel and aluminum exports, which the Canadian Prime Minister has in the past called an “affront” to Canada and its longstanding relationship with the U.S.
“Donald, it’s all the more reason why we need to keep working to remove the tariffs on steel and aluminum between our countries,” Trudeau said Friday.
Trudeau’s remarks occurred during a signing ceremony for the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement, an updated trade agreement for the North American countries that the Trump administration hopes to see ratified by Congress in the following months.
Trump has pushed for an updated trade deal with Canada and Mexico for months amid tariff disputes with the two countries that Trump has accused of ripping the U.S. off for years on issues of international trade.
Trump is also expected to meet with Chinese president Xi Jinping at the G-20 summit this week to discuss the mounting trade tensions between the two countries. The U.S. is expected to boost tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese imports to 25 percent within weeks, though the administration says its eager to strike a deal with Beijing.
