Minister Ng meets United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai

May 2, 2023 – Washington, D.C., United States- Global Affairs Canada 

Today, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, met with Katherine Tai, United States Trade Representative, to discuss collaboration on key areas of shared priority and to advocate for Canadian interests.

Minister Ng and Ambassador Tai began the meeting by celebrating the beginning of Asian Heritage Month in Canada and as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the United States. They reflected on the extraordinary contributions of Asian Canadians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders to the 2 countries, and agreed to continue working together to combat Anti-Asian Hate.

Minister Ng and Ambassador Tai highlighted the importance of their 2 countries working together with Mexico to strengthen competitiveness across North America. To that end, they discussed continuing to work together to address shared challenges regarding reforms in Mexico’s energy and mining sectors, as well as not taking measures that undermine mutual prosperity. They also discussed the importance of upholding rules-based trade, supported through both the implementation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) and a strong multilateral trading system supported by the WTO.

The Minister thanked Ambassador Tai for the U.S.’s ongoing support for Canada’s membership in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), noting the advantages of Canadian participation and appreciating the need for consensus. Ambassador Tai acknowledged that Canada and the U.S. are well placed to work together to advance shared objectives in the region, and underscored steady progress towards IPEF membership expansion as part of a consensus-based process.

Minister Ng and Ambassador Tai discussed a range of other issues related to the Canada-United States trading relationship, including unjustified U.S. duties on Canadian softwood lumber and expanded Buy America provisions. Minister Ng noted that these measures hurt workers in both countries and impact the resiliency of integrated supply chains.

They agreed to continue working together to strengthen the important relationship between the 2 countries, as well as their respective ties around the world, especially with the Indo Pacific.

Associated links

• Canada-United States relations
• Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA)
• Prime Minister Trudeau and President Biden Joint Statement