Greer says Canada, U.S. spoke ‘in past few days’ on trade

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Thursday that Canada and the United States have spoken “within the past few days” about a potential trade deal, though he declined to give a timeline.

Greer made the comments in an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Pod,” as reported by CTV News and CP24. He said U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney speak regularly and that “the substance of the deal is more important than a timeline.”

“But we certainly are working on it,” Greer said, according to CTV News.

The remarks matter in Canada because they are the clearest sign yet of renewed contact after weeks of mixed signals. In an earlier interview with CBC News, Greer said there was no open channel of communication between him and Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc. He had also said that no trade negotiations were underway. In August, Greer told CNBC that Ottawa had changed its demands at the last minute, a claim he used to explain why the last round of talks collapsed.

Greer’s latest comments follow a prediction from U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra that a deal could be reached before the end of 2026. CTV News has also reported, citing sources, that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick led a push inside the Trump administration to re-engage with Canada.

Greer said Canada “would love to go back to how things used to be, where there’s just unfettered free trade between our two countries,” but that the U.S. is working on a deal meant to protect its supply chains.

The interview came a week after Trump’s Republicans lost both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the U.S. midterm elections. Asked whether he and Trump had discussed whether the tariff war contributed to the result, Greer said gas, oil and the “vast amount” of food are not subject to tariffs. He added that he and Trump will “keep taking trade actions as necessary.”

Greer also said he agrees with those who want more certainty on tariffs. He blamed Democratic state attorneys general who are trying to overturn the tariffs in court for preventing what he called “more of that stability.”

He said he looks forward to working with a Democratic-controlled Congress. “To be honest, I think we’ve seen nuanced language from some members up there about tariffs that make sense and that could be helpful,” Greer said. “So I think there’s room to work with them.”

Democrats take control of both chambers in January and could introduce legislation aimed at changing Trump’s tariff policies. Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat, has called the tariff war with Canada “insane” and said he is willing to help end it. We reported on how the election result could shape the trade file in our coverage of the U.S. tariffs now in effect on Canada.

The Trump administration has imposed tariffs on 59 countries and the European Union this year and has faced multiple lawsuits and criticism over them, CP24 reported.

Neither the Prime Minister’s Office nor LeBlanc’s office had publicly confirmed Greer’s account of recent contact when this story was published. Earlier, Carney and Trump spoke about trade and agreed their teams would work on a deal, and no deal was expected before the midterms.

If you find reporting like this useful, consider supporting Canada News Media, an independently owned Canadian newsroom.