Many issues at the core of negotiations aimed at convincing U.S. President Donald Trump to lift tariffs on Canadian goods are similar to those expected during next year’s review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday. (The Logic)

Talking point: Canadian officials warned former prime minister Justin Trudeau last fall that Trump was unlikely to wait till July 2026 “before pressing for action” on USMCA. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said this week he thinks Trump could move to reopen USMCA as early as November. Carney said the “strategic sectors” of steel, aluminum, autos, lumber and pharmaceuticals being discussed now would “naturally” come up in USMCA talks, adding it would benefit all parties if there are ways to bring those two sets of talks together. On Friday, the U.S. Commerce Department announced its final rate for countervailing duties on Canadian softwood lumber at 14.63 per cent. That brings the combined rate that includes anti-dumping duties to 35.19 per cent—more than double what it used to be.