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The US, meanwhile, has been asking for a number of concessions from Canada, including removing its remaining retaliatory tariffs on American autos and adjusting its dairy quotas to allow greater access for US cheese producers.<\/p>\n
Asked on Wednesday if the latest deal will include significant concessions on dairy, Minister LeBlanc said that Canada’s dairy supply management programme – which oversees production quotas and sets pricing and import quotas on dairy, eggs, and poultry – will remain “entirely intact”.<\/p>\n
Polls suggest that a majority of Canadians would be unhappy if the Carney government made significant concessions to the US, with 56% surveyed by polling firm Leger, external<\/span><\/a> saying they want Canada to take a hardline approach.<\/p>\n But business organisations from both sides of the border have lobbied for a deal to be reached, cautioning that additional tariffs between the two trading partners would be harmful for both countries.<\/p>\n Dennis Darby, president of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters and a member of Carney’s advisory committee on Canada-US trade, told the BBC he is optimistic a finalised deal is on the horizon.<\/p>\n “The committee was informed this morning that the negotiations continue and that and we’re close, and that’s more positive than we’ve seen in some time,” Darby said.<\/p>\n He added that businesses hope this will be the first step towards a return to the terms set under the North American free trade agreement, known as USMCA, with most goods flowing tariff-free through Canada, the US and Mexico.<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Peter Hoskins<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n