Canadian cabinet ministers roll in for first meetings in Trump’s Washington
WASHINGTON — Canadian cabinet ministers are fanning throughout the U.S. capital this week to meet members of the new Trump administration, laying the groundwork for an anticipated visit by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as well as the upcoming renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Three ministers have meetings in Washington this week: Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland landed Tuesday for a two-day visit, just after her colleague Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan left town and before Finance Minister Bill Morneau was to arrive Wednesday.
Those meetings are taking place as the national governments prepare for a first encounter between Trudeau and new President Donald Trump, which could happen as early as next week. The governments are still nailing down details of a meeting agenda before settling on an official date.
Freeland began by visiting Capitol Hill and the highest-ranking member of the House of Representatives, Speaker Paul Ryan. Hailing from the dairy-producing state of Wisconsin, Ryan raised oft-stated U.S. concerns about Canadian regulatory practices that limit imports of certain American products, although officials said that conversation did not broach NAFTA and the possibility of dairy supply management becoming an issue in trade negotiations.