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U.S. senator says there's 'momentum' toward trade deal after LeBlanc meeting · THE DAILY BRIEF

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  Speaker 1: Part of Team Canada's push to stop the latest US
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  Speaker 1: tair threat. Means talking means talking with those who have
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  Speaker 1: the President's here, including North Dakota Republican Senator Kevin Kramer,
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  Speaker 1: who met with Minister LeBlanc yesterday. He's also the co
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  Speaker 1: chair of the Canada United States Interim Parliamentary Group. Senator
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  Speaker 1: Kramer joins me, Now, thank you very much for joining
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  Speaker 1: us today. Sir, you had a meeting with Minister LeBlanc.
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  Speaker 1: Tell us about it.
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  Speaker 2: Well, First of all, it's always a pleasure to receive
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  Speaker 2: the minister, and it was great to be able to
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  Speaker 2: meet Janice Charette and get her perspective as well. In fact,
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  Speaker 2: I saw the Minister at the Nationals game last week
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  Speaker 2: when they were playing Montreal, and Ambassador Wiseman throughout the
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  Speaker 2: opening pitch and I think he put it right across
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  Speaker 2: the plate. So it's always good to see him. But
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  Speaker 2: I think this particular meeting was enjoyable because I feel
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  Speaker 2: like there's some momentum taking place in the relationship, in
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  Speaker 2: something negotiations, and it was just a pleasure to get
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  Speaker 2: caught up.
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  Speaker 1: You say momentum, what leads you to say that what
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  Speaker 1: is happening that leads you to say that there might
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  Speaker 1: be something happening right now.
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  Speaker 2: Sure, well, a couple of things. First of all, it
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  Speaker 2: certainly appears in the last probably three weeks or so,
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  Speaker 2: that there's been more of a green light from leadership
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  Speaker 2: perhaps in both countries to intensify the negotiations. Of course,
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  Speaker 2: that was probably precipitated by the three thirty eight tariff
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  Speaker 2: announcement from the President, and so it only makes sense
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  Speaker 2: that everyone would be rolling up their sleeves and working
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  Speaker 2: a little bit harder at it. And I've always been encouraged,
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  Speaker 2: of course by the relationship is sort of up and down,
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  Speaker 2: as it's been over the course of the last year
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  Speaker 2: or so. This is the first time in long time
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  Speaker 2: that I've felt like there's a seriousness that we're grateful
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  Speaker 2: to see Canada engaging in such a significant way, but
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  Speaker 2: also grateful to see to see the United States negotiators
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  Speaker 2: jameson Greer and the others, and the President and the
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  Speaker 2: Prime Minister quite honestly engaging with one another. So I'm encouraged,
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  Speaker 2: just if by nothing else, simply by that openness that
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  Speaker 2: we see taking.
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  Speaker 1: Place the three three eight tariffs. Those are the fifty
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  Speaker 1: percent tariffs on approximately twenty eight billion dollars worth of
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  Speaker 1: Canadian goods. Do you want those tariffs to come into force?
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  Speaker 2: I would like there to be enough progress over the
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  Speaker 2: court so the next couple of weeks that those tariffs
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  Speaker 2: would not need to go into place. As you know,
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  Speaker 2: there are some exemptions to those tariffs that are important
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  Speaker 2: to probably to North the Cotins as much as they
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  Speaker 2: are to Canadians. Things like podash, for example, energy itself
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  Speaker 2: that's sort of exempt from all of that, but other
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  Speaker 2: things like hockey sticks and some of the products you're
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  Speaker 2: familiar with are still under that tariff. I just would
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  Speaker 2: like to see the activity level that we're starting to
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  Speaker 2: see already pick up and see some momentum and then
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  Speaker 2: see some substance in the discussions. And you know, we
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  Speaker 2: may not know the outcomes for sure, but I think
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  Speaker 2: momentum matters, Katie in this case. But I think some
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  Speaker 2: substance could be the thing that that either gets you
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  Speaker 2: the three thirty eight suspended or even or extended for
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  Speaker 2: some time. By extended, I mean you know, the start
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  Speaker 2: of them kicking in after August nineteenth, and so again
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  Speaker 2: I remain optimistic, but we do have to see some
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  Speaker 2: substance of I think negotiations that result in substance of solutions.
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  Speaker 1: So the Trump administration announced this plan to introduce these
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  Speaker 1: new tariffs. They say it is because Canada retaliated. But
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  Speaker 1: the only reason that Canada retaliated against the United States
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  Speaker 1: with things like some provinces enforcing a booze ban certain
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  Speaker 1: tariffs and quotas and other sectors. The only reason that
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  Speaker 1: took place is because President Donald Trump launched a trade
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  Speaker 1: war against Canada and did not, you know, stick by
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  Speaker 1: the agreement, the KUSMA, the USMCA agreement that exists right now,
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  Speaker 1: and impose tariffs on Canadian sectors as well as broader
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  Speaker 1: tariffs as well. Do you understand that the Canadians when
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  Speaker 1: they see Donald Trump escalate this, that there is a
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  Speaker 1: sentiment across this country that people want to dig in
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  Speaker 1: and fight back.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, I understand it. Believe me, being a senator from
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  Speaker 2: a border state, I was once the tourism director in
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  Speaker 2: North Dakota. We welcomed about a million Canadian visitors a
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  Speaker 2: year in those days. I'm sure it's more than that, although,
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  Speaker 2: so we feel it, to your point, the personal level
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  Speaker 2: of concern, and we feel that from the Canadian people.
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  Speaker 2: Having said that Donald Trump is responding to Canada's retaliation,
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  Speaker 2: You're correct. He you know, he made the first BALI,
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  Speaker 2: but he did that with many countries throughout the world,
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  Speaker 2: and yet Canada and China are the only two countries
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  Speaker 2: that started discriminating against US products and that's what prompted
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  Speaker 2: the three thirty eight tariffs. All of that to say,
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  Speaker 2: I do understand, you know, the Canadians a concern about it.
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  Speaker 2: But at the same time, we can resolve all this.
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  Speaker 2: I have no question about that, no doubt about that.
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  Speaker 2: And that's why I'm That's why I'm more encouraged today
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  Speaker 2: by what I heard both from Minister Lebank as well
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  Speaker 2: as from Jannah Charlotte, and what I even heard in
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  Speaker 2: an interview that you did with Foreigner former Premier Charless.
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  Speaker 2: So I just think that it's there's a great opportunity
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  Speaker 2: here that will facilitate a conclusion, I should maybe say conclusion,
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  Speaker 2: but facilitate enough progress that the Canadian people can feel
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  Speaker 2: better about it, that the American people can feel better
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  Speaker 2: about it. And more importantly, there are two nations can
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  Speaker 2: do some business together. That's important for both of us.
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  Speaker 1: You are a Republican senator. You are an ally of
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  Speaker 1: President Donald Trump, and part of the reason why Canadian
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  Speaker 1: officials keep meeting with you is because they know that
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  Speaker 1: you have a connection to the White House. You have
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  Speaker 1: President Donald Trump's ear, and you have expressed public support
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  Speaker 1: to sort of end the trade war. When was the
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  Speaker 1: last time you brought this up with the President and
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  Speaker 1: what did you say to him?
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  Speaker 2: Well, it's interesting, I was in the Oval Office a
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  Speaker 2: couple of weeks ago with him. We did not talk
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  Speaker 2: about Canada, but I did. But I did visit with
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  Speaker 2: with jameson Gerr on my way out the door a
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  Speaker 2: little bit about Canada, and he was, you know, he
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  Speaker 2: was encouraged by the recent outreach, if you will, by
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  Speaker 2: the Prime Minister to the President as well as Minister LeBlanc,
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  Speaker 2: and so I just I just feel like this is
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  Speaker 2: the moment, because I don't believe that would have happened
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  Speaker 2: unless Donald Trump had given the green light AMBASAD were
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  Speaker 2: to do that again, much more substantive outreach, much more
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  Speaker 2: personal engagement from the top and throughout the ranks, and
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  Speaker 2: that gives me encouragement. So but the President and I
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  Speaker 2: do talk about Canada. In fact, most of the time
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  Speaker 2: when I talked to him, which is fairly regularly, I
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  Speaker 2: bring up Canada. We have cordial but you know, I
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  Speaker 2: tend to be a little more concerned about the situation.
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  Speaker 2: He's very confident about the outcome. I think it's really important, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: for Canadian people to think about it this way. Yes
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  Speaker 2: we're neighbors. Yes we're friends. We've got the most the
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  Speaker 2: longest and the longest running as well as the longest
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  Speaker 2: miles or kilometers of peaceful border in any between any
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  Speaker 2: two countries in the world. But the President is frustrated,
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  Speaker 2: and understandably so, by the fact that this thirty two
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  Speaker 2: and a half trillion dollar economy down here and year
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  Speaker 2: two and a half trillion dollar economy up there results
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  Speaker 2: in a trade imbalance that is to the favor of Canada.
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  Speaker 2: Now you know, we're We're probably never going to be
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  Speaker 2: at exact balance. I don't know, but we can certainly
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  Speaker 2: do better than this.
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  Speaker 1: That's because the United States needs Canadian energy. That's why
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  Speaker 1: there is the imbalance, is because you guys need Canadian.
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  Speaker 2: Energy, Okay, and fortunately energy is off off of the
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  Speaker 2: plate for the three thirty eight tariffs. I think the
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  Speaker 2: President recognizes that, and I would submit to you, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: once we get past the skis, if you will, if
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  Speaker 2: that's what you'd want to call it, if the family feud,
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  Speaker 2: if I could call it that. I think energy, much
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  Speaker 2: like food production and national security, are some of the
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  Speaker 2: areas where as a continent, or at least as you know,
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  Speaker 2: as two countries, two neighbors that share a common love
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  Speaker 2: for peace and freedom, can really be stronger together. I
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  Speaker 2: think we all recognize that. I know that Prime Minister
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  Speaker 2: Carney has made tremendous strides, I think in Canada's commitment
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  Speaker 2: to NATO and beyond our work with Golden Dome. Clearly
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  Speaker 2: we can't protect the northern part of the United States
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  Speaker 2: without helping protect Canada and vice versa. So there's so
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  Speaker 2: much more good we can do together going forward. But
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  Speaker 2: these are not insignificant issues. The dairy issue, the software,
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  Speaker 2: lumber issue, these are not insignificant issues for that For
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  Speaker 2: that matter, still in aluminum and the intertwining of our
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  Speaker 2: supply chains critical not just to one country or the other,
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  Speaker 2: but to both countries.
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  Speaker 1: The last thing I want to ask you about is
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  Speaker 1: if there's any clarity you have from the Trump administration
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  Speaker 1: about what exactly what action President Donald Trump is going
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  Speaker 1: to be taking against Canada because of the wildfire smoke.
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  Speaker 1: He said recently that he was asked by a reporter
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  Speaker 1: whether he decided on a punishment for Canada because of
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  Speaker 1: the wildfire smoke. He said yes, but he didn't reveal
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  Speaker 1: any details. What is Donald Trump going to be doing
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  Speaker 1: about that?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I leave that up to Donald Trump. I don't
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  Speaker 2: have any clarity to share with you, and if I did,
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  Speaker 2: I don't know that I would Because I don't know,
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  Speaker 2: I don't would see. I alwill tell you this, coming
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  Speaker 2: from a prairie state on the Canadian border, when that
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  Speaker 2: heavy smoke comes down from the prevailing northern northwest winds
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  Speaker 2: from Saskatchewan or Alberta, from Manitoba into North Dakota, it's frustrating. However,
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  Speaker 2: I have a good understanding of just how much forest
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  Speaker 2: there really is up in Canada, how difficult that challenge
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  Speaker 2: is for the Canadian people as much as it is
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  Speaker 2: for us. And I think that's another one of those
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  Speaker 2: challenges that perhaps together we could have help, we could
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  Speaker 2: help fix. Rather than, you know, rather than argue over
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  Speaker 2: over darry do.
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  Speaker 1: Donald Trump's threats against Canada help fix the issue.
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  Speaker 2: I think that Donald Trump's we can call him threats
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  Speaker 2: or ultimate.
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  Speaker 1: Well, it's a threat. It's a threat. He's threatening to
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  Speaker 1: oppose tariffs. He's threatening to tariffs.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. So here's what Donald Trump is a master negotiator
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  Speaker 2: who always negotiates from a position of strength. He understands
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  Speaker 2: intuitively that we have, you know, three hundred and fifty
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  Speaker 2: million people in the United States, we have a thirty
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  Speaker 2: two and a half trillion dollar economy, and that there's
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  Speaker 2: that we probably can call a few of the shots.
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  Speaker 2: That's what Donald Trump does as a businessman, is what
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  Speaker 2: he's doing as a leader. At the same time, I
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  Speaker 2: think it's really really important that those of us who
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  Speaker 2: who are going to be here after Donald Trump was here,
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  Speaker 2: who were here before Donald Trump got here, continue the
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  Speaker 2: relationship in in a friendly way as we do serious business,
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  Speaker 2: so that so that time will come and time will go,
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  Speaker 2: and this will still be the most peaceful long border
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  Speaker 2: in the history of the world.
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  Speaker 1: Senator Kramer, thank you very much for giving us some
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  Speaker 1: of your time today.
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  Speaker 2: My pleasure. Kay. You look forward to seeing you back
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  Speaker 2: here when you get here.