BANFF — Officials on both sides of the border are still talking even though there are no official trade negotiations underway, Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Friday.
LeBlanc is in Banff, Alta, for the two-day Liberal cabinet retreat, where the ongoing trade war with the United States is a key topic.
He said he has no meetings in Washington scheduled but has spoken several times with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and sometimes also speaks with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick as well.
That included on Friday, when LeBlanc sent a text to Lutnick on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Lutnick’s brother Gary died in the North Tower of the World Trade Center that day.
“He has talked to me about often about what that meant for him and his family,” LeBlanc said. “So I sent him a message to say I was thinking about him,” LeBlanc said.
LeBlanc had multiple meetings with Greer in Washington over the summer, including an intense two weeks ahead of an August trade deadline imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, but those talks were suspended on Aug. 21.
They have not met since and LeBlanc said he has no formal scheduled meetings going forward. Speaking in French, he said even without formal negotiations, maintaining the relationship is important ‘for all kinds of reasons.”
That includes, he said, being ready for a possible deal that respects Canadian sovereignty and is the country’s national interest, and he said there are still conversations happening.
The two countries appeared to be on the verge of a deal in August to settle some outstanding trade irritants and prevent the U.S. from imposing a new round of punishing tariffs on Canada. But Prime Minister Mark Carney suspended those talks and summoned LeBlanc back to Canada, while accusing the Americans of making last minute demands that impacted Canada’s sovereignty.
Trump then imposed 50 per cent tariffs on nearly $28 billion in Canadian goods. Canada’s retaliatory tariffs took effect Tuesday and later that same day Trump signed new orders to ban imports of some Canadian products, including most alcohol. He also added new products to the tariff list and took some off it, including toilet paper, cement and road salt.
Both sides blame the other for the impasse.
Asked about reports that Mexico and the U.S. are getting closer to reaching a bilateral trade agreement, LeBlanc said Canadian officials also talk with their counterparts in Mexico.
“They’ve been at this for a number of months,” he said. “We’re focused on the work that we need to do both in the bilateral discussions with the United States and obviously around the review of CUSMA, the trilateral agreement.”
The Trump administration did not extend CUSMA in July. That triggered an annual rolling review of the trade deal that could continue for up to a decade. The deal will expire after that review if all three countries can’t agree on an extension.
LeBlanc said he was encouraged by recent comments by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum that suggested it would be beneficial for all three countries to work at the same table.
“We remain optimistic that we’ll get there, and the Mexicans in that sense are very much in the same vein as us,” said LeBlanc.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2026.
Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press
