LeBlanc, Charette meet with U.S. trade rep with hours to go on tariff deadline

They were set to come into effect just after midnight Wednesday, but that deadline was pushed back until Saturday to allow time to turn the agreed-upon deal into a legal agreement.

LeBlanc and Charette have met with Greer in Washington several times this month to hammer out the deal.

LeBlanc told reporters on Thursday that the two sides were “very close” to a deal. The content of that agreement, however, has not been shared publicly.

The agreement is expected to address U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum, lumber and autos. It’s also expect to address some U.S. concerns about limited access to Canada’s dairy market, as well as Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on autos and provincial bans on U.S. alcohol imports.

“Canadians expect us to get a deal that’s in the economic interest of Canada and Canadian workers,” LeBlanc said as he left Greer’s office Thursday.

Canada’s premiers said Prime Minister Mark Carney in a briefing on Wednesday asked them to put U.S. booze back on the shelves as part of the deal. Many said Thursday they were open to ending their provincial bans.

Several premiers have indicated a willingness to comply, but not all.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose province was the biggest importer of U.S. alcohol, has yet to comment publicly on the latest proposal. Quebec Premier Christine Frechette said Thursday after a call with Carney that she’s weighing how the deal could play out for her province.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Friday he is concerned about rumours Carney “might be willing to cave and accept one-sided tariffs.”

Poilievre said this would leave sectors like steel, aluminum and autos at a disadvantage to the United States and risk seeing those jobs move south of the border.

“I’m very concerned about the deindustrialization of our country if our key industries pay one-sided tariffs,” Poilievre told reporters in Kitchener, Ont.

“Mr. Carney’s got to tell us how he’s going to avoid the full deindustrialization of our economy if he accepts one-sided tariffs as part of this deal. We want the good deal that Mark Carney promised. Remember, his entire election campaign was about elbows up, don’t accept a bad deal. Well, one-sided tariffs on Canadian industry would be a bad deal.”

Unlike other tariffs, the duties that are on pause would affect goods that are compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade.

The tariffs would be placed on a wide variety of goods from hockey sticks and honey to concrete and plywood.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2026.

— with files from Craig Lord and David Baxter

The Canadian Press staff

by The Canadian Press

LeBlanc, Charette meet with U.S. trade rep with hours to go on tariff deadline

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