Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma remains optimistic Prime Minister Mark Carney and his team will get the best deal done for Canada.
Carney was in Washington on Tuesday for a visit with President Donald Trump and other high level officials. It included closed-door meetings and a short meeting in front of cameras that the mayor said left a favourable impression on viewers.
“Sometimes it’s a challenge to be beside somebody in that proximity…and not say something that might move that conversation sideways,” Ritsma said.
“I watched enough to know that Carney knows it will take some negotiation…to move it forward. I know beyond the meeting there was more dialogue about what is truly important to the president.”
According to the prime minister’s office, the leaders identified opportunities for material progress in trade in steel, aluminum, and energy, and directed their teams to conclude the work in the coming weeks.
Carney also met with high ranking U.S. officials to discuss Canada’s economic and trade priorities, including a review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
Ritsma was in Washington recently and talked with officials about manufacturing, tool and die, aerospace and the auto sector – all components of Stratford’s economy.
“Right now, we are protected and buffered from trade tariffs by CUSMA. When I visited the Mexican embassy, Canadian embassy and the U.S. Trade Commission, it was all about what was going to happen with CUSMA…that is where our PM is aiming for.”
Canada currently has the best trade agreement of any U.S. trading partner, with 85 per cent of Canada-U.S. trade tariff-free, according to the PM’s office.
Ritsma said the meetings appeared to be positive, with the two leaders having an amicable conversation on camera, though Canadians are not yet getting all the answers they want in regards to trade tariffs and other economic concerns.
“I’m hopeful we do get a good result. But we know with (Stratford’s) important economic ties to manufacturing, we know that 4.5 per cent (regional) unemployment rate can jump drastically if we don’t get a good result.”
Ritsma said he was challenged in Washington during his trip to explain what Canada is doing to make the U.S. great again, or to promote their economy.
“Our message was let’s develop a North American region, especially in the auto sector, that can compete with China, that can compete with the South Pacific, and the European Union.
“And I think that is where Prime Minister Carney is going.”
