Despite NAFTA jitters, Canada launches trade broadside against U.S.
WASHINGTON — Prepare for a tense moment in Canada-U.S. relations — with hard bargaining on NAFTA on the horizon prompting nervous glances at Donald Trump to see whether he cancels the agreement, now compounded by a bitter, wide-ranging trade dispute.
Canada launched a broad attack against American trade practices in an international complaint about the superpower’s use of punitive duties, eliciting a caustic counter-swipe from the Trump administration when the document was made public Wednesday.
”(This is an) ill-advised attack,” U.S. trade czar Robert Lighthizer said. “Canada’s claims are unfounded and could only lower U.S. confidence that Canada is committed to mutually beneficial trade.”
Two weeks from now, the unstated backdrop to the dispute will be squarely in the foreground.