The chief executive officer of the Canadian American Business Council says she is optimistic following the meeting between Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump.
The highly anticipated meeting took place at the White House Tuesday and was the first in-person meeting since the Canadian election, coming amid trade tensions between the two nations. Carney said there were “very comprehensive and tangible discussions,” and that the two leaders did “make progress.”
“I think it’s exactly what we had all hoped for, the beginning of a conversation that brings us back to business. Having a conversation about how we work well together is so important because we’ve done it in all of our history,” Beth Burke, the CEO of the Canadian American Business Council told BNN Bloomberg Tuesday afternoon.
“We have collaborated, to make our economies stronger and having the conversation to get back to that place is really important and I feel heartened by the comments today.”
Earlier Tuesday morning, Trump posted a message on Truth Social saying the U.S. doesn’t need “ANYTHING” Canada has, including cars, lumber and energy.
Burke said she thinks the U.S. president’s comments on the issue are part of the negotiation.
“You put all of your leverage as far as you can out in the beginning. You don’t want to concede the points before you’re in the negotiation. So, I think it’s a tool and something we’ve seen him do before,” she said.
When asked if there was anything Carney could say for the U.S. to lift tariffs on Canadians goods, Trump said “No.” Burke said she hopes that position is also a negotiation tactic.
“I think we’ve seen, as he’s utilized this throughout really the beginning of his presidency to today, he has been open to conversations and shifting the position a bit as facts come to light and impacts show,” she said.
“I think we have a job as the business community to highlight those impacts and really show the interconnectedness. I think we’ve been doing it, and we will continue to come to the table to talk about how important our economic reliance and security on one another really is.”
