With the prospect of a blanket exemption from Buy American policies now looking unlikely, Canada is seeking a deal that would allow Canadian firms to take part in the Biden administration’s green energy push, said Canada’s chief trade negotiator.
“The prospects of us getting a complete exemption from the Buy America provisions is something that’s not likely to be politically possible in the U.S.,” Steve Verheul, chief trade negotiator, told a parliamentary committee today.
Verheul told MPs that Canada is looking for sector-specific exemptions in negotiations with the U.S. He said the most likely area where the two countries could work together is on green energy and other green initiatives.
“That’s the major focus that we’re looking at because that’s, I think, where we can very easily align with the U.S., demonstrate that those markets, like many others, are very integrated and that we can produce a lot of those types of goods and services together,” he said.
Canada has the advantage, Verheul added, of being a much more reliable supplier to the U.S. than other countries might be when it comes to green energy investments.
Watch: Steve Verheul on the possibility of a blanket exemption from Buy American
Canada’s Chief Trade Negotiator Steve Verheul says “it’s not likely politically possible” for Canada to be completely exempt from the U.S. Buy American policy. 1:10
That hope for a lucrative exemption from the U.S. on clean technology has been stoked by recent developments.
Biden administration officials have on multiple occasions referred to Canada as a partner in building a clean energy economy.
The president’s top climate envoy, former secretary of state John Kerry, delivered that message again this afternoon.
Speaking to a virtual forum hosted by the Canadian government, Kerry said Canada and the U.S. are connected on climate issues and both stand to gain economically from the pursuit of net-zero emissions.
“We know that our fates are tied on this issue,” Kerry said in a video released as part of Great Lakes Day 2021. “The United States and Canada face similar climate impacts in the Arctic, along our coasts and throughout the entire continent.
“Our policies are also deeply tied — we share an energy system and a vehicle supply chain. We also stand to both benefit, greatly, from the economic opportunity of building a clean energy future. The United States and Canada can, together, create millions of good, high-paying jobs to reach the net-zero future.”
The cost to Canada
Asked by MPs how much Buy American might cost the Canadian economy, Verheul said he wasn’t sure because Canada hasn’t seen details of Washington’s infrastructure plan.
Canada supplies steel, aluminum and concrete products to the U.S. that the American economy cannot produce itself, Verheul said, expressing optimism that the Biden administration’s willingness to consult with Canada will provide opportunities.
“What we’re trying to do on Buy American is make sure that we have the proper kinds of relationships with the new U.S. administration, that we can have these kinds of conversations,” he said.
“They have opened that door … and there’s an openness to make sure that they don’t take actions that are going to cause damage to us that we would certainly have difficulty with.”
Asked what the impact on the Canadian economy would be if the U.S. offered Canada no exemptions from Buy American, Verheul was less optimistic.
“If they did have a strict Buy America it would be costly because we supply a lot of the goods that go into the products that they are looking for,” he said.
MONTREAL – One expert says entry-level pay under the tentative deal between Air Canada and its pilots could be a stumbling block ahead of a union vote on the agreement.
Under their current contract, pilots earn far less in their first four years at the company before enjoying a big wage increase starting in year five.
The Air Line Pilots Association had been pushing to scrap the so-called “fixed rate” provision entirely.
But according to a copy of the contract summary obtained by The Canadian Press, the proposed deal announced Sunday would merely cut the four-year period of lower pay to two years.
John Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University, says as many as 2,000 of Air Canada’s roughly 5,200 active pilots may earn entry-level wages following a recent hiring surge.
After the airline averted a strike this week, Gradek says the failure to ditch the pay grade restrictions could prompt pushback from rank-and-file flight crew and jeopardize the deal, which is up for a vote next month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
ROME (AP) — Salvatore “Totò” Schillaci, the Italy striker who was top scorer at its home World Cup in 1990, has died. He was 59.
Schillaci had been hospitalized in Palermo following treatment for colon cancer.
The Palermo Civico hospital said in a statement that Schillacci died on Wednesday morning after being admitted 11 days ago.
Schillaci scored six goals for Italy during the 1990 World Cup. He came on as a substitute during Italy’s opener against Austria, scored in a 1-0 victory, and went on to earn the Golden Boot awarded to the tournament’s top scorer. He only scored one other goal for Italy in his career.
Italian soccer federation president Gabriele Gravina announced that a minute of silence would be held in memory of Schillaci before all games in the country for the rest of the week.
“The uncontrollable celebrations, in which his face was the symbol of shared joy, will remain forever part of Italian soccer (history),” Gravina said. “Totò was a great player, a symbol of tenacious desire and redemption. … His soccer was full of passion. And that fearless spirit made everyone appreciate him and will make him immortal.”
Schillaci also won the Golden Ball award at the 1990 World Cup as the tournament’s top player ahead of Lothar Matthaus and Diego Maradona.
Schillaci played for Messina, Juventus, Inter Milan and Japanese team Jubilo Iwata during his club career.
“You made an entire nation dream during the Magical Nights of Italia ’90,” Inter said on its social media channels.
West Germany won the 1990 World Cup, beating Argentina in the final, while Italy beat England for third place with a winning penalty kick from Schillaci.
Roberto Baggio, who scored Italy’s opening goal in the third-place match, wrote on Instagram, “Ciao my dear friend.”
Having been born and raised in Palermo, the Palermo soccer team announced that it would hold a public viewing of Schillaci at its Renzo Barbera stadium ahead of the funeral, the Gazzetta dello Sport reported.
French soccer player Wissam Ben Yedder will stay free ahead of his trial on charges of sexual assault while intoxicated, one of his lawyers told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Marie Roumiantseva said Ben Yedder will remain under strict judicial supervision after a woman filed a lawsuit for sexual assault earlier this month.
The 34-year-old Ben Yedder, a prolific striker in the French league, was briefly detained then released after the alleged incident in his car on the French Riviera. Ben Yedder had been stopped by police after he first refused to do so. He was then put in a jail cell.
After he was summoned to appear in court on Oct. 15 and placed under judicial supervision, the Nice prosecutor’s office appealed the decision not to remand the player in custody. The investigative chamber of the Court of Appeal of Aix-en-Provence did not grant this request and kept Ben Yedder under judicial supervision.
Ben Yedder attended a hearing Tuesday during which he offered to go to rehab. He has admitted he drove while under the influence of alcohol but has denied any sexual assault.
In a separate legal case last year, Ben Yedder was charged with “rape, attempted rape and sexual assault” over another alleged incident in the south of France.
Ben Yedder has been without a club since his contract with Monaco expired at the end of last season.
