It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Thursday, May 28, 2026
Carney set to deliver remarks, pitch Canada as investment hub in New York
Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during the Board of Trade breakfast in Vancouver, on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns
NEW YORK — Prime Minister Mark Carney is in New York City Thursday to meet with business leaders as the relationship between Canada and the United States remains rocky ahead of a review of the continental trade pact.
The Prime Minister’s Office has not identified the CEOs, entrepreneurs, business leaders and money managers Carney is expected to meet with to pitch Canada as an investment destination.
Carney is also set to deliver remarks at the Economic Club of New York outlining Canada’s new economic strategy and the progress made so far.
The trip comes as Mexican and American officials meet this week for negotiations on the Canada-U.S.-Mexico-Agreement on trade, better known as CUSMA.
The United States has not officially launched CUSMA negotiations with Canada.
U.S Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Tuesday there are significant trade issues with Canada but he has been in regular contact with his Canadian counterparts.
The CUSMA review sets up a three-way choice for each country to make in July. They can renew the deal for another 16 years, withdraw from it or signal both non-renewal and non-withdrawal — which would trigger an annual review that could keep negotiations going for up to a decade.
Greer has suggested the Trump administration is unlikely to rubber-stamp a renewal and the three countries are preparing for lengthy trade talks.
U.S. President Donald Trump froze negotiations with Canada last year because he was angered by an Ontario-sponsored ad quoting former president Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs.
While the relationship appeared to thaw in March after a meeting between Greer and Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc, no official negotiations have been launched.
Greer said Tuesday most countries “begrudgingly” accepted that some level of tariffs would remain but Canada is in a “different spot” and it’s “hard to see where that ends.” He said tariffs would remain on Canada and Mexico, despite the trade agreement.
As the Trump administration continues to signal a turbulent path forward for the bilateral relationship — it paused the long-standing Permanent Joint Board on Defense earlier this month — Carney has focused on securing investment and deepening Canadian ties with other countries.
On Wednesday, Carney announced the federal government is entering into contract negotiations with Sweden’s Saab to buy a fleet of surveillance aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2026.
Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press
Canada-U.S. trade minister heads to Washington next week to talk trade
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc makes his way to a meeting of the Liberal caucus in Ottawa on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Canada-U.S. trade minister Dominic LeBlanc heads to Washington next week to talk trade, ahead of the July 1 deadline for a review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico free trade deal (CUSMA).
Ahead of the trip, LeBlanc tells CTV News he had a one-hour video meeting Monday with United States Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer. The Canada-US. trade minister said they were also joined by Canada’s Chief Trade Negotiator to the U.S., Janice Charette.
LeBlanc told CTV News about the meeting and the upcoming visit but didn’t share further details as to what’s on the agenda or when he will be in the U.S. capital.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, meanwhile, heads to New York on Wednesday.
Asked if he expects any movement on Canada-U.S. trade issues from that trip, Carney categorized his visit as “not a trade mission in that sense.”
The prime minister said he is focused on meetings with investors in the private sector who are already investing or interested in investing in Canada.
In terms of the bigger U.S.-Canada trade picture, Carney referenced “ongoing conversations” LeBlanc is having with Greer and mentioned “upcoming meetings” the minister will have, but didn’t elaborate.
LeBlanc was last in Washington to discuss trade in March.
The U.S. has made clear it has a number of irritants in trade discussions, including supply management policies, especially concerning dairy, the banning of American alcohol by most provinces, and the Online Streaming Act. That last issue was just made pricklier by a Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) decision requiring streaming companies to pay three times as much (15 per cent) of their Canadian revenue to support Canadian content.
Canada, meanwhile, has been pushing back on punishing tariffs on steel, aluminum, automobiles and forest products.
Canada in ‘different spot’ when it comes to Trump tariffs, U.S. trade czar says
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer arrives for the G7 trade meeting in Paris, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, Pool)
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade czar said there will be tariffs in place on Mexico and Canada even though the countries are part of a continental trade pact.
United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Tuesday that most nations around the world have “begrudgingly” accepted tariffs are part of the Trump administration’s ongoing policies and have been willing to continue negotiations.
“Canada’s approach has been different,” Greer said during an event at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Greer was asked about the state of negotiations with Ottawa around the Canada-U.S.-Mexico-Agreement on trade, known as CUSMA. Greer said Canada is in a “different spot” when it comes to accepting Trump’s tariffs and it’s “hard to see where that ends.”
The Trump administration has begun official CUSMA negotiations with Mexico but they haven’t started with Canada.
The CUSMA review sets up a three-way choice for each country to make in July. They can renew the deal for another 16 years, withdraw from it or signal both non-renewal and non-withdrawal -- which would trigger an annual review that could keep negotiations going for up to a decade.
Greer has previously suggested the Trump administration is unlikely to rubberstamp a renewal. He is required to inform U.S. Congress about the decision next week.
Trump froze negotiations with Canada last year because he was angered by an Ontario-sponsored ad quoting former president Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs.
There appeared to be a thaw in relations after Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc -- along with Ottawa’s chief negotiator Janice Charette and newly appointed Ambassador to the United States Mark Wiseman -- met with Greer in March.
Greer said Tuesday that he speaks with his Canadian counterparts regularly but “our sense is that we have, with Canada, some trade challenges.”
The continental trade pact has largely shielded Canada and Mexico from the worst impacts of Trump’s tariffs. The current 10 per cent global tariffs do not apply to goods compliant under CUSMA.
Greer pointed to trade in energy, critical minerals and fertilizer between the countries, saying it had remained “untouched” by Trump’s tariffs because they were common areas of economic benefit.
Canada is being slammed by Trump’s separate sectoral tariffs on goods like steel, aluminum, cabinetry and automobiles.
In a sign that there’s no room to negotiate lower automobile tariffs, Greer repeated Trump’s well-known claim about autos, saying, “Why do we make cars in Canada?”
“I think on some of these issues it’s going to be a challenging negotiation, but in some sectors of the economy it has been fine and it will be fine,” Greer said.
The Trump administration wants to prioritize supply chains in North America for national security reason, Greer said. If the United States can get good terms, the administration is looking to give preferential treatment on the continent, he added, but tariffs will remain.
Meanwhile, LeBlanc met with provincial and territorial trade ministers Monday. A news release said they discussed the evolving North American trade environment and the CUSMA review.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2026.
Canada turns away from U.S. on major defence purchase
Prime Minister Mark Carney announces that Canada is in negotiations with Sweden for GlobalEye, an advanced aerial surveillance system, Wednesday, May 27, 2026.
OTTAWA – In front of a packed room of Canadian corporate defence and security leaders, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada has entered negotiations to procure GlobalEye, an advanced aerial surveillance system developed in Sweden that uses Canadian-made jets.
The GlobalEye is an airborne warning and control system (AEW&C) created by Swedish defence and security company Saab. The radar system is integrated into Bombardier’s Global 6500, transforming the corporate jet into a cutting-edge surveillance aircraft.
The federal government is negotiating a deal that would see at least one third of the projected fleet of the GlobalEye aircraft manufactured in Canada over the next 15 years.
Buy Canada Jobs
Once the contracts are signed, sealed and delivered, Bombardier could be manufacturing at least 40 aircraft in its plants in Montreal and Toronto. The projected number also includes orders from Canada’s allies.
Carney outlined the broad strokes in Ottawa, during a keynote speech at CANSEC, the largest defence and security trade conference in Canada.
“It’s a big pipeline, a portion of that pipeline will be built here,” said Saab CEO Micael Johannson in an interview with CTV News. “I want to, as quickly as possible, set up an industrial collaboration with Bombardier and others to have a hub built in Canada, to support the ramp up we need for the GlobalEye.”
In a news release, the government said the deal has the potential to support more than 3,000 jobs in the Canadian aerospace and defence sector from skilled trades to engineering to computing.
Bombardier spokesperson Mark Masluch says there is a possibility the company would have to either expand one of its manufacturing plants or build a new one.
The CBC has reported that the Department of National Defence is interested in purchasing six GlobalEye systems at a cost of more than $5 billion. Once built, the GlobalEye will be a key part of bolstering North American security, by detecting and deterring threats in the Arctic.
The DIS aims to double non-U.S. exports over the next ten years and give Canadian companies a 70 per cent share of defence contacts.
During April’s Liberal convention, Carney was rewarded with rousing applause when he declared that “the days of our military sending 70 cents of every dollar to the United States are over.”
In choosing to negotiate with Saab, Canada is shutting the door on the American option of purchasing the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft, which the military was also considering.
“It’s a decision that we’ve made to diversify our military relationships,” said Defence Minister David McGuinty after the announcement. “The way forward is to co-operate with likeminded, mid-sized countries. Pool our talent, pool our technology, pool engineering and know-how, and produce the kind of material that we need.”
Other measures announced
In his breakfast keynote on Wednesday, Carney also announced that the government is implementing a new 90-day approval standard to provide “more predictable decisions.”
He also announced:
Incentivizing foreign contractors to subcontract to Canadian firms and invest in the domestic supply chain.
A new strategic partnership to enable companies to work more closely with government to build sovereign capability.
A Defence Concierge Service to connect small and medium businesses with the right programs, provincial partners and export opportunities.
The creation of a Defence Advisory Forum to ensure government and industry goals remain in synch. The advisory forum will be co-chaired by the ministers of National Defence, Industry, and the Secretary of State for Defence Procurement.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is seen on a screen as he makes an address at the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries annual defence industry trade show CANSEC, in Ottawa, on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
The advisory board for U.S.-Canada bilateral defence co-operation was established in 1940.
Tensions have also increased over Canada’s decision to review the procurement of F-35s from U.S. based Lockheed Martin, while re-evaluating the merits of the Gripen Fighter, a jet also made by Saab.
Johansson says Saab’s collaboration with Bombardier in its GlobalEye system demonstrates just how important it is to work with “like-minded countries.”
“Sweden is a friend (to Canada). I mean, we are all NATO,” he said. “Our air forces can work together with the Arctic perspective. We share a (similar) threat environment.”
GlobalEye Early Warning and Control solution. SE-RMY aircraft. (Cyan Racing)
Carney says Canada's historically close relationship with the United States has been permanently altered and Ottawa needs to diversify its economic and security relationships.
Canada is moving ahead with the Swedish firm Saab on procuring a new fleet of Arctic surveillance aircraft, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Wednesday, choosing the Stockholm-based company over US competitors.
For Carney, the move addresses two key priorities; improving Canada's defence capabilities in the Arctic and reducing the country's economic integration with the United States.
By entering into formal negotiations with Saab on the procurement, Canada has sidelined two US alternatives: the Aeris X by L3Harris and the E-7 Wedgetail by Boeing.
"The GlobalEye procurement will help us secure our North and build our economy at once," Carney said at a defence industry event in Ottawa on Wednesday.
Saab applauded the news and noted plans "to transfer knowledge and technology to Canada that will grow the domestic defence industry," a message also shared by Carney.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney makes an address at the annual defence industry trade show CANSEC in Ottawa, 27 May, 2026 AP Photo
The Canadian premier has listed the Arctic as a strategic priority, warning Canada needs to rapidly improve its defence posture in the region, where geopolitical competition is rising, notably with Russia.
But in choosing a European partner over a US firm, Carney may further anger President Donald Trump's administration, which has already voiced frustration over Ottawa's decision to reconsider a multi-billion-dollar deal for a new fleet of US-made F-35 fighter jets.
When US Undersecretary of Defence Elbridge Colby announced earlier this month that the Pentagon was suspending cooperation on an 86-year-old joint defence advisory board with Canada, he cited the stalled F-35 deal as an aggravating factor.
Carney says Canada's historically close relationship with the United States has been permanently altered and Ottawa needs to diversify its economic and security relationships, insisting bilateral ties will not return to a pre-Trump normal.
