The next is the transcript of an interview with Dominic LeBlanc, Canadian Minister for U.S.-Canada Commerce, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Aug. 3, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to the Canadian Minister for U.S.-Canada commerce, Dominic LeBlanc, who joins us this morning from Moncton, Canada. Good morning to you.
MIN. LEBLANC: Good morning, Ms. Brennan.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You have been simply right here, in Washington, negotiating. And whereas the talks are formally persevering with, you left city and not using a deal, and also you left city with, now, what’s a 35% tariff on items. How a lot of a setback was the President’s choice to do this while you’re nonetheless on the desk?
MIN. LEBLANC: So we have been clearly—clearly disenchanted by that call. We imagine there’s a substantial amount of frequent floor between america and Canada when it comes to constructing two robust economies that work properly collectively. That is been the historical past of the 40-year Free Commerce Settlement that goes again to President Reagan. We have been happy america is respecting the phrases of the USMCA settlement. That is important, we expect, to the price of residing and affordability, actually in america, it is true in Canada, as properly. So, we’ll proceed to do the work. We left, at all times, with a greater understanding of the American considerations within the buying and selling relationship. Ambassador Greer, Secretary Lutnick, engaged with us in constructive, cordial conversations. So we’re ready to stay round and do the work wanted. We expect, Ms. Brennan, that the economies of each nations are strengthened after we do issues collectively, the buying and selling relationship between Canada and america is not like different companions. One description, with out which I believed was very apt; we do not promote issues to one another as a lot as we construct issues collectively. And that is why it’s- it is troublesome on this relationship when a lot is built-in. However we stay very optimistic.
MARGARET BRENNAN: However, you heard Ambassador Greer say Canada—as a result of Canada retaliated to the preliminary tariffs all the best way again in April, when Prime Minister Trudeau was in workplace, you are paying the worth now, although you’ve got a brand new authorities in place. If that is the difficulty, why not make that concession and pull again?
MIN. LEBLANC: So, Prime Minister Carney, our new prime minister, has, we expect, constructed a really business-like, respectful relationship with President Trump. We expect that is clearly essential to Canada, and we expect to america. We’re coping with, take, for instance, the metal sector in Canada. It is a strategic significance to nationwide safety in Canada, as it’s for President Trump and the American financial system. We now have a scenario the place there is a 50% tariff. We are the greatest metal export marketplace for america. We have now a 25% tariff. There is a 50% tariff after we wish to promote one thing into america. So, successfully, we’re blocked from doing that. However the nationwide safety curiosity of Canada requires that we now have a viable metal and aluminum sector, and my conversations with Secretary Lutnick and others are that therein lies an instance, the place if we do the correct work collectively, we now have, Ms. Brennan, the hardest guidelines of any nation coping with Chinese language dumping into Canada. We have now soften and pour tracing, in order that merchandise coming from different nations with Chinese language metal cannot be dumped into the Canadian market. So, we’re wanting and advancing concepts the place we are able to do this work with america, on the identical time, making certain that our financial system continues to have sectors important to the financial way forward for Canada. However, that is not in contradiction to President Trump’s nationwide safety targets in america, in fact.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Effectively, I wish to speak to you extra about this concept of the so-called fortress North America to tackle China, and among the specifics of the dispute on the opposite facet of this industrial break. Please stick with us. We’ll have extra questions for Minister LeBlanc shortly. We’ll you see in a second.
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MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome again to Face the Nation. We return to our dialog with the Canadian Minister for US-Canada commerce, Dominic LeBlanc. Minister, we have been simply speaking about among the sectoral tariffs, the metals. American automakers, GM, Ford, Stellantis, they’ve all mentioned that these tariffs are hurting their earnings. The 50% metallic tariffs, which use Canadian aluminum, the Secretary of the Treasury was speaking about these simply the opposite day, they’re seeing the impression right here in america, a little bit of a backfire in some methods. Do you see room for maneuver on these? Are they prepared to barter with you on these tariffs?
MIN. LEBLANC: Ms. Brennan, we hope so. And, as I say, we’re inspired by the conversations with Secretary Lutnick and Ambassador Greer, however we’re not but the place we have to go to get the deal that is in one of the best curiosity of the 2 economies. However your instance is an effective one. Canadian aluminum firms massively provide the American market. And by placing a 50% tariff on aluminum from Canada, you have elevated the worth of a complete collection of products. The car sector, once more, is an instance the place there’s been deep integration. We are the greatest buyer of U.S. made vehicles. Closely, closely importing into Canada mild and heavy-duty vehicles. 50% of the automobiles that we end in Canada and promote to america are made up of American elements. So, therein lies an ideal instance the place, as an alternative of tariffing each other, or President Trump for his nationwide safety causes, beneath his Part 232, tariffs, needs to have a powerful home metal, aluminum vehicle sector. Effectively, so does Canada. And we perceive and respect completely the President’s view when it comes to the nationwide safety curiosity. In actual fact, we share it, and what we have mentioned to our American counterparts is, how can we construction the correct settlement, the place we are able to each proceed to produce each other in a dependable, cost-effective means that preserves jobs important to the American financial system, however the identical factor is true, clearly in Canada as properly.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Are there any plans for the 2 leaders to talk? I noticed President Trump mentioned your prime minister referred to as him Thursday, and so they simply by no means related. I imply, are tensions that prime? And given the altering justification for the tariffs, do you actually really feel such as you’re negotiating with the opposite facet in good religion?
MIN. LEBLANC: Positive, we do. After all we do. As I say, the conversations have been informative, constructive, and cordial. I’d count on the Prime Minister could have a dialog with the President over the following variety of days. That is actually my plan, once more with Secretary Lutnick, recognizing that we expect there may be an choice of placing a deal that may carry down a few of these tariffs, present higher certainty to funding. We, Ms. Brennan, we handed, in Canada, our model of the President’s One Massive, Lovely Invoice. It is referred to as the One Canadian Financial system Act, which we expect will unlock as much as $500 billion of funding in Canada for issues like pipelines, port infrastructure, mines, all of which supply big alternatives to American companies as properly. So, we expect there’s an incredible deal- an incredible deal to work on collectively.
MARGARET BRENNAN: All proper, Minister, we’ll see if you may get one. We’ll be proper again.
