Morneau Defends Canadian Position on Trade to US Treasury Secretary

According to a press release, Canadian Minister of Finance Bill Morneau reaffirmed Canada's position on recent trade disagreements, including one involving soft lumber, during a meeting with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin at the G-7 Summit.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Canadian Minister of Finance Bill Morneau reaffirmed Canada's position on recent trade disagreements, including one involving soft lumber, during a meeting with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin at the G-7 Summit in Bari, Italy, a press release from the Canadian Department of Finance said on Friday.

"Minister Morneau defended Canada's position on open trade and recent trade issues such as softwood lumber," the release stated. "[T]he government of Canada disagrees strongly with the baseless duties applied to Canadian softwood lumber products, and remains committed to working with the US administration to achieve a durable long-term solution."

The release noted that Morneau and Mnuchin discussed the importance of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and its role as the "backbone" of US-Canadian trade.

The two leaders also agreed to keep an open dialogue to help further develop the strong relationship of cooperation between Canada and the United States, the release added.

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