Canadian FM visits US senate amid tariff trade brawl

Senators seek to soothe relationship with Toronto

WASHINGTON, June 14, (Agencies): Canada’s Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland met with US senators Wednesday aiming to cool down a fiery trade row over “abs urd” American tariffs that has sent ties between the longtime allies plunging.

Freeland huddled behind closed doors with Senate Foreign Relations chairman Bob Corker and other senators on the committee eager to repair the fraying relationship after President Donald Trump cited national security interests for slapping punitive tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.

Invoking national security — under Section 232 of a US trade law — as a reason for the tariffs “is frankly absurd,” Freeland told reporters after the hour-long meeting.

“I think Americans understand it’s simply not the case,” she said, stressing the deep friendship between two nations that share the world’s longest peaceful border.

Freeland has visited Washington often in recent weeks as Canada, the US and Mexico engage in negotiations over modernizing NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement.

But Trump’s announced tariffs, and bald faced attacks against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after the G7 summit, have stunned Canada.

The neighbor to the north is now on track to impose what Freeland described as “measured, dollar-for-dollar retaliation” tariffs on US goods beginning July 1.

Freeland would not say what steps Ottawa wants the US Congress to take, but she was clear about Canada’s demand on the Trump administration.

“The US has to remove these unfair illegal tariffs from Canada, and from its allies,” she said.

“We really are confident that at the end of the day, common sense will prevail.”

She stopped short of saying whether any US lawmakers apologized for Trump’s trade actions, adding that Canadians “really value our relationship with the United States.”

The Republican Corker has criticized Trump for attacking a vital ally, and lashed out at leaders in his own party for refusing to schedule a vote on his measure to let Congress approve or reject any tariffs imposed by the US president.

A frustrated Corker said after the meeting it was clear “we’ve damaged relations” with Canada.

“I don’t know of any senator that I know of on the Republican side that has not expressed concerns to the president both about using 232 but also just the random nature of how this has all been carried out.”

Democratic Senator Bob Menendez said he hoped Freeland would return home and share with Canadians “that the view of the president is not the view of all the American people” or a majority of senators.

Freeland said she will speak on Thursday with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, with whom she met on the sidelines of last weekend’s G7 summit.

Meanwhile, senators from both parties sought to mend a frayed relationship with Canada during a closed-door meeting Wednesday with Canadian Freeland.

The meeting involving members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee followed Trump calling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “dishonest” and “weak” after the Group of 7 summit in Quebec over the weekend.

Sen Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the committee, said senators expressed concerns about the president’s use of a national security waiver to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada. Corker said he believes it’s an abuse of presidential authority.

Corker has sponsored legislation that would require Congress to sign off on such tariffs, called Section 232 tariffs, but he has struggled to get a vote. Many Republicans are reluctant to pick a fight with Trump over trade right now as he seeks better deals with China and a slew of US allies.

Freeland said Canada values its relationship with the US. However, she called the administration’s use of Section 232 tariffs “frankly absurd.”

“The notion that Canadian steel and aluminum could pose a national security threat to the United States, I think Americans understand it’s simply not the case,” Freeland said.

She added that the action is illegal under World Trade Organization rules and the North American Free Trade Agreement, “and we have raised cases in both tribunals.”

She said the answer to the dispute was simple: “The US has to remove these unfair, illegal tariffs from Canada and from its allies.”

Trump enraged US allies Canada, Mexico and the European Union two weeks ago by slapping tariffs on their steel and aluminum shipments to the United States; most other countries have been paying the tariffs since March.