Canadian and American negotiators were bargaining through the night in pursuit of a North American free-trade deal before the Friday deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump, separating into working groups to address key disagreements, including the dispute-resolution mechanism at the heart of Ottawa’s bargaining position.
Both Mr. Trump and Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said talks this week have made progress and said a deal could be had by the end of the week.
Canada has offered to give American farmers more access to its protected dairy market in exchange for the United States preserving a key dispute-settlement mechanism, keeping safeguards for cultural industries in the deal and averting tougher rules for pharmaceutical patents, sources have told The Globe and Mail.
A senior Canadian official said late on Wednesday the two sides are still far apart on Chapter 19, the process Canada has used to fight back against punitive American tariffs on imports, and provisions that allow Ottawa to protect Canadian culture from U.S. competition.
Still, the official said negotiators believe there is a real chance talks will wrap on Friday with a trilateral deal...
This was excerpted from 29 August 2018 edition of The Globe and Mail.