Canada

Donohue said his prediction was “not just based on some thought I came up with in the middle of the night.”

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Wednesday submitted a formal counterproposal to the House Democrats’ U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement working group, according to a House Ways & Means Committee spokesperson.

The U.S. International Trade Commission did not meet its obligations under U.S. law when it calculated antidumping and countervailing duties on Canadian softwood lumber, a North American Free Trade Agreement panel ruled on Thursday.

As Congress prepares to return to work next week following a lengthy recess, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has yet to submit formal, comprehensive counterproposals to the House Democrats’ U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement working group, according to a House Ways & Means Committee spokeswoman.

In a series of bilateral meetings on the margins of the G7 leaders’ summit in Biarritz, France, President Trump addressed pressing trade issues with his counterparts, including looming auto tariffs, trade tensions with China and World Trade Organization reform.

As President Trump gets set to jet to France this week for the G7 summit, senior administration officials say trade will be the first and foremost policy issue on his agenda in bilateral meetings with the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, France, Japan and India.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and House Democrats are continuing talks on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement during the August recess, exchanging “paper” and meeting regularly as lawmakers and their staff await official counterproposals from the administration, congressional sources said.

The U.S. has criticized the Appellate Body for continuously failing to meet its 90-day deadline in appeals.

“This is part of Canada’s ongoing commitment to help improve labour standards and working conditions in Canada and Mexico.”