Quebec remains cautious on Canada-US trade deal as Ottawa pushes to restore US alcohol
TORONTO (AP) — Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette said Thursday that Prime Minister Mark Carney had answered many of her questions about an emerging Canada-U.S. trade agreement, but she stopped short of endorsing the deal while the province assesses its potential impact.
Fréchette had said a day earlier that negotiations were “far from over" and that Quebec alone would decide whether U.S. alcohol returns to shelves at the SAQ, the Quebec government corporation that controls most wine and spirits sales in the province.
Dominic LeBlanc, the federal minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, returned to Washington on Thursday to meet again with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer as the two sides continued work to finalize an agreement.
Fréchette said Carney provided answers to many of her questions during a lengthy call Thursday, though Quebec was still awaiting some information.
“I got a number of the answers that I was looking for,” Fréchette said in French, adding that the province would analyze the potential economic impact before taking a position.
Fréchette said Quebec could restore U.S. alcohol to SAQ shelves if its analysis finds the overall agreement is positive for the province.
Canada and the United States moved closer to finalizing a trade agreement that would avert threatened 50% U.S. tariffs. U.S. President Donald Trump has called the emerging agreement “very fair” to both sides and predicted U.S. farmers and manufacturers would benefit. Tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian imports have been postponed until 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
Neither Canadian nor U.S. officials have released the full terms of the emerging agreement.
Quebec does not have a veto over a Canada-U.S. trade agreement, but it controls provincial measures such as whether U.S. alcohol is sold through the SAQ.
Carney asked provincial premiers during a briefing Wednesday to return U.S. alcohol to store shelves, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said, a step aimed at addressing one of the Trump administration’s key trade complaints.
The White House has said the emerging deal includes a Canadian commitment to address restrictions on U.S. alcohol. But Carney cannot order provinces to restore sales.
Fréchette’s Coalition Avenir Québec faces voters in an October provincial election, adding political pressure as she assesses changes that could affect Quebec's dairy and forestry sectors.
Houston and two other premiers voiced support for the direction of the talks, though Houston said whether Canadians would actually buy U.S. alcohol again “is a whole other discussion.”
Eight of Canada’s 10 provinces restrict or ban U.S. alcohol — measures imposed in retaliation for Trump’s previous tariffs on Canadian goods and amid anger over his repeated talk of making Canada the 51st U.S. state.
Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, is especially important. Its government-run LCBO, one of the world’s largest alcohol purchasers, sold nearly 1 billion Canadian dollars ($723 million) worth of U.S. products annually before pulling them from shelves last year.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has clashed with Trump before, has not yet commented on the emerging deal.
While details of the emerging agreement remain vague, Trump has claimed Canada agreed to end tariffs on U.S. agricultural products.
Canada currently allows a set amount of dairy imports at low tariffs. Once imports exceed that limit, much higher tariffs apply. The U.S. says Canada’s supply-management system makes it harder for American dairy producers to gain full access to the Canadian market.
LeBlanc has said Canada’s “agriculture sector will be well protected and we have maintained our tough line.”
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