Minister Responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade Dominic LeBlanc speaks with reporters at the Canadian Embassy in Washington on Oct. 7, 2025. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld
Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc is back in Washington for talks with U.S. officials, days after his previous visit, as another round of U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods is set to take effect in just over two weeks.
A government spokesperson said LeBlanc and Canada’s chief trade negotiator, Janice Charette, are in the city for a “series of trade-related engagements.”
Both LeBlanc and Charette travelled to Washington last week, where they met with United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. LeBlanc said in a social media post that they had held a “comprehensive meeting” and “agreed to remain in close contact and continue working together,” but did not say what was discussed.
LeBlanc also attended a “Canada-U.S. Friendship Day” baseball game on July 28 between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Washington Nationals.
LeBlanc has made several trips to Washington in 2026 to discuss trade, including a trip in March for the ongoing Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) negotiations, and in June to meet with Greer to inform him that Canada was seeking a 16-year extension of the trade agreement. LeBlanc and Greer met again on the sidelines of the G7 in France later that month.
The Canada-U.S. Trade minister’s latest trips to Washington come after U.S. President Donald Trump signed proclamations on July 21 for a new round of tariffs on Canada, set to apply to Canadian alcohol, dairy products, and other goods. The tariffs would apply to around five percent of Canada’s exports to the United States, and are set to come into effect on Aug. 19.
The United States has said these new tariffs are in response to trade issues like Canada’s supply management system for dairy products, provincial bans on U.S. alcohol, and Ottawa’s counter-tariffs on automotive parts.
Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters on July 21 that he had spoken with Trump over the phone earlier in the day, and the two leaders had agreed to “intensify” trade negotiations in the coming weeks. “The team and myself look forward to doing that,” Carney added.
Washington also imposed a separate new tariff of 10 percent on Canada on July 24 as part of broader measures meant to address forced labour worldwide. The United States imposed tariffs on 60 countries that it said do not effectively prohibit or enforce bans on goods made with forced labour.
Additionally, Trump has suggested that the cost of Canadian wildfire smoke in the United States should “be added to the tariffs Canada is currently paying.”
While speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Aug. 2, Trump said, “You’ll find out,” when asked whether he had decided on a response to the wildfire smoke.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
