Canada 'welcomes' US stance on French language in trade talks

Canada's lead negotiator in trade talks with the United States has expressed optimism regarding Washington's stance on protecting French language and Canadian culture, as Ottawa simultaneously exempted seafood from planned counter-tariffs.

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Canada welcomes that the US is now withdrawing its positions on discoverability and labelling and is confirming that measures to promote French language and Canadian culture will not be subject to future US trade actions.

Dominic LeBlanc, Canada's minister responsible for US-Canada trade, stated that Canada welcomes the US's withdrawal of positions on discoverability and labeling, and its confirmation that measures promoting French language and Canadian culture will not face future US trade actions. LeBlanc indicated on X that Canada is awaiting "further constructive US clarifications on their other positions" to allow negotiations to resume toward a potential agreement.

These comments followed Canada's announcement of planned retaliatory duties, ranging from 15% to 50%, set to take effect on September 8. These measures largely mirror US President Donald Trump's 50% duties on Canadian goods, which became effective the previous Saturday. Trade talks had previously collapsed, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney citing US demands for restrictions on Canada's trade pacts with other nations and "threats" to the French language and Quebec culture.

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Canada awaits "further constructive US clarifications on their other positions" that would allow negotiations to resume and move towards a possible deal.

US trade officials acknowledged the sensitivity of French language protections. Jamieson Greer, a top trade official, told CBC that the issue of discoverability for French content on streaming services was noted by the White House but not considered a dealbreaker. He assured that the US would not jeopardize a good deal over such matters.

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There is no way we would let a good deal go by for something like this.

In a separate development, Canada's Department of Finance announced the exemption of fish and seafood products from its retaliatory tariffs. This adjustment was made based on feedback and could affect US states like Alaska and Maine, particularly ahead of the US midterm elections in November.

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This is not something where we push hard, or condition, or red-line.