WASHINGTON — Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s office says he had a lengthy and constructive meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington today.

It comes after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced last Friday that Canada will drop some retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products to match American tariff exemptions for goods covered under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement on trade, called CUSMA.

Canada’s counter-tariffs on steel, aluminum and automobiles will remain.

Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman was also in the meeting with Lutnick.

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.

LeBlanc has said the goal is a bilateral agreement that lessens pressures of Trump’s sectoral tariffs on industries like steel, aluminum and automobiles ahead of an upcoming CUSMA review.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 26, 2025.

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press