Canada’s chief trade negotiator with the US, Dominic LeBlanc, said on August 27 that he welcomes Washington’s shift in stance on issues of “visibility,” “labelling,” and “measures promoting French and Canadian culture” that will not be subject to US tariffs.
In a post on social media platform X the same day, LeBlanc praised the move and said Canada expects “further constructive clarifications from the US on other positions, thereby creating the possibility of reaching a mutually beneficial trade agreement.”
Al Jazeera contacted the White House for comment, but the US side pointed to an interview by US Trade Representative Jamison Greer with Canada’s CBC, in which Greer said that the issue of French visibility on streaming platforms “is not something we are pushing hard on, conditioning, or viewing as a red line.”
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick echoed that view at a press conference on August 27 outside the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
“Do I care how the people of Quebec speak French? I mean, what could be less important to the United States? We don’t care. The fact is we never brought up those words. This is a fabrication, and that’s why the president posted on Truth Social saying it was a complete lie,” Lutnick told reporters.
The remarks come after a series of tit-for-tat tariffs between Washington and Ottawa.
Earlier, Canada announced counter-tariffs on about $20 billion worth of US goods, with rates ranging from 15% to 50%, effective September 8. The tariffs were in response to the 50% tariffs Washington imposed on Canadian goods after talks collapsed over the weekend.
US President Donald Trump has recently escalated hardline rhetoric targeting Canada, including signing an executive order on August 27 to rename Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great Lakes bordering Ontario province, to Lake America.
On August 23, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said US officials had made “threats against French” as well as threats against Canada’s culture and Quebec’s specifically.
Canada’s counter-tariffs will apply to hundreds of consumer products, including ice skates, dishwashers, and building materials. However, on August 26, Ottawa adjusted some tariffs downward, including those on fish and seafood.
“Based on feedback, we have made selective adjustments to protect against economic harm, including removing seafood and fish products from the counter-tariff list,” the Canadian Finance Department said in a post on X.
“We are continuously working with Canadian industries to assess the effectiveness of these measures, focusing primarily on sectors affected by US tariffs.”
