USTR Greer Presses Canada on Trade Favoritism and Tariff Retaliation
U.S. Trade Representative Greer accuses Canada of offering better deals to other nations while demanding an end to retaliatory tariffs on American goods.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is sharpening Washington's trade posture toward Ottawa, arguing that Canada has been extending more favorable trade terms to third countries than it offers the United States — a charge that frames the bilateral relationship as fundamentally imbalanced and in need of structural correction. The criticism arrives as the Trump administration continues to use tariff pressure as its primary lever to reshape North American commerce.
Greer indicated that American officials have spent the better part of a year pressing their Canadian counterparts to roll back retaliatory measures imposed in response to Trump-era tariffs, suggesting that Ottawa's continued countermeasures are a sticking point despite what he described as a constructive working relationship with Canadian trade officials. That tension between diplomatic cordiality and policy friction is a recurring feature of the current U.S.-Canada dynamic, where personal relationships have not translated into resolution.
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On the broader manufacturing and deficit question, Greer reiterated two of President Trump's core trade objectives: reducing the U.S. goods deficit with Canada and incentivizing a shift of production back to American soil. These goals are deeply intertwined — fewer imports from Canada and more domestic manufacturing are treated by the administration as complementary outcomes rather than separate ambitions. The USMCA framework remains the formal backdrop for these negotiations, though Greer noted that Trump has already taken certain related actions outside that agreement.
Greer also addressed the transatlantic front, citing longstanding concerns about Airbus receiving subsidized financing that Washington views as placing Boeing at a structural competitive disadvantage. He noted that there had been a prior understanding that such subsidies would not continue, signaling that the European trade file remains an active source of friction even as U.S. attention is heavily focused on North American supply chains.
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