Calgary | Reuters — Canada has a “very special status” and is unlikely to be hit hard by changes the U.S. wants to make to the NAFTA trade accord, the head of a business advisory council to U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday. Stephen Schwarzman made his remarks after addressing Canadian Prime Minister Justin […] Read more

Canada not seen as U.S. target in NAFTA talks

Trudeau to shuffle Dion out of foreign affairs
Ottawa | Reuters –– Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will shuffle his cabinet this week and is set to move Foreign Minister Stephane Dion, who ran into political trouble last year, a person with knowledge of the matter said on Monday. “Dion is out,” said the person, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of […] Read more

Panel calls for Canada to require plain-packaged pot products
Ottawa | Reuters — The Canadian government should regulate the production of cannabis when it is legalized for recreational use and require plain packaging for such products, an official panel recommended on Tuesday, a potential setback to growers who hoped to build brands. How cannabis is sold should be left up to the provinces and […] Read more

Belgian region wants more time to fix CETA
Brussels/Ottawa | Reuters — The premier of the Belgian region that is the main impediment to a planned EU-Canada free trade agreement on Wednesday advised postponing a summit next week to sign the deal and taking a few more months to fix outstanding issues. Walloon’s Paul Magnette spoke as pressure mounted on him to drop […] Read more

German court rejects bid to block Canada-EU trade deal
Berlin/Ottawa | Reuters –– Germany’s Constitutional Court cleared the government on Thursday to approve a free trade accord between the European Union and Canada under defined conditions, boosting the agreement’s chances of passing an EU vote next week. However, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made clear he was losing patience with the EU over the […] Read more

Canada unveils carbon price, energy-producing provinces unhappy
Reuters — Canada’s federal government on Monday vowed to bring in a minimum price on carbon emissions by 2018, prompting one energy-producing province to threaten legal action and another to demand approval of an oil pipeline in return. Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who took power last November promising to do more to protect the […] Read more

Canada, China agree to tighten trade ties
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada and China said Thursday they would start exploratory talks on a free trade pact, but gave few details about a possible extradition treaty for Chinese fugitives which has triggered criticism in Canada. Canada’s Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, elected last year, is trying to improve ties and increase trade with […] Read more

China, Canada resolve canola dispute until 2020
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada and China have agreed on a solution to a trade dispute over $2 billion worth of annual canola sales, lasting to 2020, leaders of the two countries said on Thursday. The solution is “predictable, science-based and stable,” ensuring access for Canadian shipments to China, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said […] Read more

Statistics data safe, official says, after agency head quits
Ottawa | Reuters — Statistics Canada data is safely stored and outsiders have no chance of accessing it, a senior official said on Monday after the chief statistician quit in protest over concerns about the agency’s independence. Canada’s Liberal government, which took power last November, is trying to resolve a number of major technological problems […] Read more

China raps Ottawa as dispute over canola exports deepens
Ottawa | Reuters — A dispute over $2 billion worth of Canadian canola exports to China intensified on Thursday when Beijing criticized Ottawa’s insistence that bilateral relations could not improve until the matter is settled. The situation threatens to mar Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to China next week. “We oppose linking a concrete […] Read more