USTR Greer says Canada has declined to complete trade agreement

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced that Canada has declined to finalize a trade agreement, marking a significant rupture in what had been months of back-and-forth negotiations between the two largest trading partners on the continent. Bilateral trade between the US and Canada exceeded $380 billion in the previous year, making this one of the most consequential commercial relationships on the planet to leave hanging without a completed deal. How it got here The roots of this breakdown trace back to July 1, 2026, when the US opted not to renew the CUSMA agreement (the Canadian name for what Americans call the USMCA) for another 16-year term. Instead, Washington triggered a mechanism that initiates rolling annual reviews, keeping the agreement technically alive until at least 2036 unless one side formally withdraws. Following that decision, negotiators from both countries pursued a potential bilateral deal through the summer. Greer and Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc worked on documentation designed to resolve persistent trade irritants between the two economies. President Trump paused planned 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion in Canadian goods to give those dis...