Canada Is LOSING to Mexico in U.S. Trade Talks… And LeBlanc Just Proved It

We saw President Trump's directive to

the American negotiators last fall uh to

suspend negotiations with Canada. We

were in the process of advancing uh we

thought in a positive way on the

sectoral tariffs. Um that is the

discussion that Mr. Trump suspended. um

the first formal meeting, face-to-face

meeting where I introduced our new

ambassador to trade representative

Greer. Uh our chief negotiator was

appointed. Uh she met the deputy USR who

would be her counterpart in the

technical details. That meeting happened

a month a month ago. So in a sense uh

that would have been the the resumption

of those uh conversations. There have

been a number uh of conversations at the

level of Ambassador Weisman, at the

level of Madame Shahet, with their

counterparts. Um I've exchanged messages

with my counterparts in the US cabinet.

Um and we remain seized both of the uh

challenge that the sectoral tariffs

represent but also uh the the the review

of the KOSMA agreement. You said Tonda

renegotiation. We're not looking to

renegotiate at all. Um and our and our

>> the question was also

>> we don't need to renew if the agreement

is is in place for a defined period of

time. What it says is that in 2026 there

shall be a review. Um that's the work

that we're doing now with the Americans.

Um we remain optimistic that that review

will conclude positively, but that's the

work that we're doing with them now. and

the Mexicans are doing it with the

Americans as well. At one point, my

conversations with the Mexicans and the

Americans would lead us to think that

there will be uh at some point uh

trilateral meetings as well as part of

that review process.

>> Dominic LeBlanc, you saucy brat. Welcome

back to Tap the Maple here on Bakes on

Things for your afternoon edition. You

know, Dominic Leblanc wants Canadians to

believe the trade file is moving right

along. Just moving, moving, moving. and

we are going to eventually get a deal

with the US. We promise. But it's not

moving well. It's certainly not moving

fast. And it's not moving with any

urgency. Just moving in a sense, as

Dominic so eloquently put it. And that

right there tells you probably

everything you need to know about the

actual negotiations. Because when a

country is getting hammered with

tariffs, when our steel sector is

exposed, when our auto sector is

exposed, when businesses are desperate

for certainty ahead of a major kusma

review, the last thing any serious

minister should be saying is that talks

have resumed

in a sense. What does that even mean?

That doesn't that doesn't make What do

you mean in a sense? Either talks are

back on or they are not back on. Those

are the two options. Either Canada is at

the table in a meaningful way or it

simply is not at the table in a

meaningful way. Either way, we are

leading this file in a wrong direction.

We are looking at humiliation on the

brink. And the real issue, while Dominic

Leblanc is feeding Canadians vague,

mushy bureaucratic nonsense, well,

Mexico, south of the US, is already way

further down the road. The United States

and Mexico formally launched the review

process weeks ago. They are already

announcing next steps. They have already

moved into technical discussions on

supply chains, rules of origin, and

manufacturing. Meanwhile, Canada is

still standing outside saying, "Don't

worry everybody, we remain engaged

in a sense." Engaged in what, Dominic?

Like, what are we doing here finally?

Because from where Canadians are

sitting, it looks like Mexico brought a

briefcase, a plan, and a calendar, while

Canada brought Dominic Leblanc, a press

scum, and a thesaurus full of delay

words. Let's tap into the truth.

>> Welcome to Bakes on Things.

Welcome back to Tap to Maple here on

Bakes on Things. You know, this is the

story of this government, isn't it? in

one sentence, always talking, always

spinning, always insisting progress is

being made somewhere behind the curtain.

But when you actually check the facts,

somebody else is already halfway down

the field, and it's not even your own

country. Tonight, we are going to rip

apart the latest update from Leblanc. We

are going to expose just how badly

Canada is mishandling tariff

negotiations yet again and ask the

question nobody in the media seems

willing to ask honestly. Why does Mexico

look more prepared, more focused, and

more urgent than Canada does on a file

that should be an economic emergency for

this country. Dominic Leblanc's latest

update on Canada US tariff negotiations

was supposed to, I think, reassure us

Canadians. Instead, I don't know about

you, but for me, it did the exact

opposite of that because the more he

talked, the clearer it became that

either he does not fully control this

file or he does not want Canadians to

understand how little progress has

actually been made with the United

States. He said that talks have resumed

but then added in a sense and I think

that's the part we need to pay attention

to. He said Canada remains engaged. He

said negotiations will begin in due

course. Those are not the words of a

government racing to protect jobs,

investment, and market access. Those are

the words of a government trying to blur

the line between activity and actual

achievement. And Canadians need to stop

letting them get away with this trick

because this trick is the worst

trick-or- treat trick I have ever seen

in my entire life. And it's not

Halloween anyway. This government has

turned language itself into a hiding

place. They never fix a problem. They

remain seized with the challenge. They

never fall behind. They are simply

engaged in productive discussions. They

never admit weakness. They simply

announce that more conversations will

happen later sometime somewhere down the

road with someone at some point at some

defined time in some defined location.

But this is trade. This is not a therapy

session, Dominic. This is not a graduate

seminar on diplomatic wording. This is

the economic future of an entire country

whose prosperity still depends

enormously on access to that American

market you are trading with. in a sense.

So, let's cut through your Dominic

LeBlanc fog, shall we? The United States

and Mexico formally launched the USMCA

review process on March 5th. Not in a

sense, formally, publicly on the record.

Then on March 18th, the two countries

announced next steps and directed

technical teams to work through specific

options tied to North American

production, supply chains, and rules of

origin. This is what urgency looks like.

Dominic, tell your boss. This is what

preparation looks like. That is what a

government does when it understands the

clock is ticking and anou won't simply

do the job. Now, compare that with, of

course, us. On March 6, Leblanc met with

US trade representative Jameson Greer

and introduced Canada's new chief

negotiator Janice Sheret, who looks like

a bull in a china shop. I'm sorry, but

she does. I'm not sure how easy it's

going to be to deal with her. Then weeks

later, he tells Canadians that this

meeting was quote, "In a sense, the

resumption of talks." That is an

astonishing admission because it means

Ottawa is trying to sell a first

introduction and some follow-up

conversations as though that amounts to

momentum. It most certainly, my friends,

does not. It amounts to Canada still

trying to get organized while others

already are negotiating substance in

other countries. And Greer himself did

not leave much room for liberal spin. He

said Canada is behind Mexico

dramatically on the bilateral talks