-- The United States does not dictate the terms of the negotiations with Canada in the CUSMA trade deal renewal, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Wednesday.
The two sides are negotiating and "we can come to a mutually successful outcome," Carney told reporters in comments broadcast on the CTV News Channel. "It will take some time."
The United States., Canada and Mexico have until the start of July to decide if to renew CUSMA. Officials have indicated that that date is unlikely to be respected.
Carney also replied with a straight "no" when asked if there were going to be any concessions to the United States to formally sit at the negotiating table.
The administration of President Donald Trump is demanding concessions from Canada to engage in trade talks toward a revised CUSMA, four sources told Radio-Canada, CBC reported on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister said the government was aware that the United States had so-called "trade irritants" with Canada, but he added that "we have trade irritants [with the U.S.] on our side too"