Minister Mary Ng hosts successful visit by United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai

May 6, 2022 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

Canada and the United States are invested in one of the most productive, collaborative, and mutually beneficial bilateral relationships in the world. It is a partnership of neighbours, forged by a shared border, democratic values, deep people-to-people connections, and multi-layered economic and security ties.

On May 5 and 6, 2022 the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, hosted Katherine Tai, United States Trade Representative in Ottawa and Toronto. They discussed steps being taken to strengthen trade ties between Canada and the United States to support inclusive job growth and prosperity.

In Ottawa on May 5, Minister Ng and Ambassador Tai discussed collaboration between Canada and the United States to reinforce cross-border supply chains, advance the ongoing implementation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), and their joint efforts to support rules-based trade in international fora such as the G7 and the WTO.

They also discussed Russia’s unprovoked and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine and ways to further support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.

Minister Ng noted the positive collaboration between Canada and the United States on a range of issues, including the resumption of cross border trade in Prince Edward Island potatoes.

Minister Ng also emphasized the importance of efforts to resolve the issue of U.S. safeguard tariffs on Canadian solar products as both countries work toward shared goals on climate change. The Minister reiterated her concern about unjustified U.S. duties on softwood lumber and underlined the importance of the dispute settlement process to Canada. She emphasised that Canada will always support its dairy industry and farmers, and will work with them to implement the CUSMA dairy panel’s findings.

Minister Ng and Ambassador Tai participated in a roundtable discussion with bi-national labour stakeholders co-hosted by the Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Minister of Labour, to highlight the importance of addressing the issue of forced labour in global supply chains and reaffirm a shared commitment to support the effective implementation of the forced labour ban under CUSMA.

On May 6 in Toronto, Minister Ng and Ambassador Tai led a discussion on supporting small and medium sized businesses to grow and export. They also conducted two site visits which highlighted the integrated supply chains between Canada and the United States, including those for electric vehicles and semiconductors.