The US has been asking for a number of concessions from Canada, including removing its remaining retaliatory tariffs on American vehicles and adjusting its dairy quotas to allow greater access for US cheese producers.
LeBlanc has 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”.
Quebec premier Christine Fréchette, whose province is home to Canada’s dairy industry, said she spoke to the prime minister on Thursday morning to get more clarity on the deal.
She said the province is analysing it to determine its impact on the Quebec economy.
If the deal is “globally positive, it is possible that we put the alcohol back on the shelves”, Fréchette added.
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 saying they wanted Canada to take a hardline approach.
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.
Dennis Darby, president of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters and a member of Carney’s advisory committee on Canada-US trade, told the BBC on Wednesday he was optimistic a finalised deal was on the horizon.
He added that businesses hoped this would 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.
Additional reporting by Peter Hoskins
