Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and chief US negotiator Janice Charette are heading to Washington Tuesday to meet US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, with LeBlanc stressing the importance of maintaining the "highly integrated North American energy market," Bloomberg reported Monday.
The visit comes ahead of a Monday deadline for Greer to notify Congress of US intentions for the USMCA review, one month before the July 1 review date.
No date has been set for Canada's bilateral trade talks with Washington, even as US and Mexican negotiators began formal discussions last week.
Ahead of the Washington trip, LeBlanc and Energy Minister Tim Hodgson met with Canadian oil and gas sector leaders on Monday, focusing on preserving cross-border energy ties that support jobs and energy security on both sides of the border, the report said.
About 90% of Canada's crude exports went to the US last year.