WASHINGTON – Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s office says he is leaving Washington today with a sense that progress was made after a meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
LeBlanc’s office says the minister spent around 90 minutes with Lutnick on Tuesday in a constructive meeting where they spoke about specific proposals and items that have been put on the table.
Negotiations about more technical aspects will now continue between Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman and United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
This week’s meeting came after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Friday that Canada will drop some retaliatory tariffs in an effort to intensify talks to ease pressures from U.S. President Donald Trump’s duties on key Canadian sectors.
Canada is being slammed by tariffs on steel, aluminum, automobiles and copper.
LeBlanc has said Canada’s counter-tariffs were a significant point of contention with the Trump administration amid negotiations of a new economic and security relationship.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2025.
