
Finance minister says Canada can negotiate better tariff terms with U.S. than other countries
Canada's finance minister said the country can negotiate a better trade deal with the Trump administration than other nations have received, pushing back on the idea that it may have to settle for a new baseline tariff on all exports to the U.S.
Article content
'We buy more from the U.S. than China, Japan, the U.K. and France combined, so we're not in the same league as others,' Francois-Philippe Champagne said in an interview.
Article content
Article content
'The competitiveness of North America depends on what happens between Canada and United States,' he said, pointing to Canada's wealth of critical minerals and energy, the integrated supply chains across the border and its status as the largest supplier of aluminum to the U.S.
Article content
Article content
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump have agreed to try to hammer out a deal by July 21 to govern the two countries' trade relationship, which saw them exchange more than $900 billion in goods and services last year.
Article content
The U.S. had a trade deficit of $36 billion with Canada in 2024, according to U.S. government data, mostly because it guzzles millions of barrels a day of Canadian oil and fuels. Excluding energy, the US had a trade surplus with its northern neighbor.
Article content
Article content
The U.S., Canada and Mexico have an existing trade pact that Trump signed during his first term. But the president paid little heed to it as he placed import taxes of 50% on foreign steel and aluminum, along with levies on cars and trucks.
Article content
Article content
'The endgame for us is to have the best possible deal for Canadian workers and the Canadian industry,' Champagne said. 'We have, compared to many countries that are negotiating with the United States, already a trade agreement in place.'
Article content
The UK agreed to a framework that allows manufacturers to export as many as 100,000 vehicles a year to the US at a 10% tariff rate, but a higher tax remains on British steel. Under an agreement with Vietnam, the US will slap a 20% tariff on imports from the Asian country, Trump said this week. Meanwhile, the European Union is willing to accept a trade arrangement with the US that includes a 10% tariff on many of its exports, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News recently.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
MP Materials Stock: Bull vs. Bear
Key Points The Department of Defense and Apple deals are great news, but what happens next? Trying to time the pullback in MP Materials stock is better left to the fortunetellers -- not smart investors. 10 stocks we like better than MP Materials › Skyrocketing more than 275% since the start of the year (as of this writing), shares of MP Materials (NYSE: MP) have benefited from strong investor interest in rare earth metals and magnets. But could the stock continue its exceptional performance throughout the remainder of the year and beyond? Let's see how two contributors tackle this question. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » It might be time to take some profits with this high-flying stock Lee Samaha: Shares in MP Materials have had a tremendous run in 2025, trading up more than 270% year to date at the time of this writing. The incredible increase is due to a fundamental reframing of the company's growth prospects in light of the Trump administration's determination to ensure a domestic supply of rare earth materials and magnets. It has culminated in a 10-year deal with the Department of Defense (DOD), explained in detail here. In addition, the company has signed an agreement with Apple that investors can look forward to. Still, as ever in investing, the question remains: With these events somewhat priced in, what happens next? The bulls will argue that more deals will be forthcoming now that the DOD's commitment has derisked MP Materials' planned investment in the magnetic manufacturing facility (called the 10X Facility) and the expansion of its rare earth capability. They may well be right. However, the flip side is that MP Materials now needs to execute on constructing facilities, which means incurring execution risk and securing $1 billion in financing from JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs before the 10X Facility begins commissioning in 2028. As such, it might make sense to, at the least, book some profits here. Most of the good news may already be priced in the stock, there's execution risk and the possibility of dilution (the DOD could own 15% of the company as part of the deal), and there's no guarantee that new sources of rare earth materials won't come to the market in the meantime. These blockbuster deals may be harbingers of what's to come Scott Levine: You don't have to scour Warren Buffett's annual letters to shareholders to gain investing insights (although it's not a bad idea). There are some frequent nuggets of wisdom that investors will hear from diverse sources, one of the most common being that it's impossible to time the market. And this old adage is especially applicable to MP Materials right now. With the stock's recent meteoric rise, it's reasonable to speculate that shares will level off at some point and probably even pull back some. The exact timing of when this will happen, of course, remains unknown. For current shareholders, the better course of action is to sit pat -- maybe add to your position if there's a pullback. Those eager to initiate a position should recognize that there's the potential that the stock will rise considerably higher and then trade a little lower only to rise again, leaving them with price points higher than where the stock is trading now. While the Department of Defense deal has numerous benefits for MP Materials, the partnership with Apple is especially important because it demonstrates the pressing need for rare earths, which are essential in the manufacturing of everything from consumer electronics to healthcare technologies to aerospace and defense applications. Companies involved in the manufacturing of these products, moreover, will want to shore up their supplies of rare earths and the magnets made with them. As the only fully integrated rare earth materials producer in the U.S. -- and soon producer of rare earth magnets -- MP Materials has a significant competitive advantage over the limited number of U.S. rare earth producers. Is now a good time to buy MP Materials? Valid arguments can be made on both sides of the coin with respect to whether MP Materials is a buy now. For those who have benefited from the stock's rapid rise over the past few months, trimming their positions and reallocating the capital may be a smart move. On the other hand, the stock has tremendous potential to rise higher in the future, and trying to time the stock's future dip may be a foolhardy exercise. Investors should closely examine risk tolerances and decide if they can withstand future volatility before picking up shares now. Should you invest $1,000 in MP Materials right now? Before you buy stock in MP Materials, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and MP Materials wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $652,133!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,056,790!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,048% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 15, 2025


Canada News.Net
8 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Trump touts Coke cane sugar move amid food policy push
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump announced that Coca-Cola has agreed to begin using real cane sugar in its U.S. beverages following his conversations with company leadership. "I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so," Trump posted on Truth Social. "I'd like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola." Coca-Cola currently uses high-fructose corn syrup in most of its U.S. drinks, while it relies on cane sugar in some overseas markets. A company spokesperson said Coca-Cola would share more details on new product offerings soon and welcomed the president's support. The shift aligns with the Trump administration's Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative, a health policy push spearheaded by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The initiative has urged food companies to revise product formulations, including removing artificial dyes and cutting added sugars. Kennedy has also been critical of excessive sugar consumption in American diets and previewed upcoming federal dietary guidelines that encourage eating "whole food." A May report by the MAHA Commission linked high consumption of high-fructose corn syrup to childhood obesity and other chronic health conditions. Still, many medical experts say the health impact of cane sugar and corn syrup is broadly similar, as both are forms of added sugar. The proposed change drew pushback from corn producers, particularly in the Midwest, where corn syrup production is concentrated. "Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar would cost thousands of American food manufacturing jobs, depress farm income, and boost imports of foreign sugar, all with no nutritional benefit," said John Bode, president of the Corn Refiners Association. Trump's home state of Florida is the top sugarcane producer in the U.S. As part of broader food policy changes, the Trump administration has also allowed some states to remove soda from SNAP benefits, putting added pressure on beverage companies like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.


CTV News
9 hours ago
- CTV News
Trump 'affected' by backlash over delay in releasing Epstein files
Trump 'affected' by backlash over delay in releasing Epstein files Ex-WH official Larry Haas on Trump's Epstein files move, MAGA base impact, backlash, and possible WSJ lawsuit.