Trump trade chief downplays fallout from Canada tariffs: 'This is business'

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Wednesday he is confident that fresh U.S. tariff threats on Canada won't jeopardize trade relations with the United States' northern neighbor. But he offered no sign that negotiations with Ottawa have advanced, or that the administration plans to abandon its monthslong push for separate, one-on-one talks with Canada and Mexico on extending their North American trade pact. 'For us, this is business,' he told reporters following an appearance before the Senate Finance Committee. 'This is trade. This is economics. We're looking at bottom lines.' President Donald Trump announced Monday that he will impose a 50 percent tariff on certain Canadian products in response to lingering irritants in the U.S.-Canada trade relationship. The tariffs, which are slated to go into effect Aug. 19, would apply to a raft of Canadian exports, from wine to hockey sticks, fishing rods, furniture and textiles. After testifying at the Senate Finance Committee hearing Wednesday morning, Greer is scheduled to travel to Mexico for the next round of bilateral talks, where he will meet with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Secretary of the Economy Marcelo Ebrard. The Trump administration has refused to launch parallel formal talks with Canada, although U.S. officials are in regular touch with Prime Minister Mark Carney's government in Ottawa. Greer also downplayed the scope of Trump's threatened duties on Canada, arguing that the new tariffs would apply to only 'a small handful of goods.' He estimated that about $20 billion of Canadian exports would be subject to the 50 percent tariff rate under the plans.