Canada’s trade minister, Dominic LeBlanc, said in a CBS “Face the Nation” interview that Ottawa remains “encouraged” by recent discussions with U.S. officials and still sees a path to lowering some of Washington’s new duties on Canadian exports. The remarks follow a missed negotiating deadline but underscore that formal talks continue despite heightened pressure from the United States. On 1 August, President Donald Trump imposed a 35 percent tariff on Canadian goods not covered by the U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement, citing security concerns and Canada’s counter-measures on steel and aluminum. Ottawa is also facing a 50 percent U.S. levy on semi-finished copper products. LeBlanc reiterated that Canada “will not rush into a bad deal,” saying any agreement must safeguard long-term economic interests. LeBlanc described meetings with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer as constructive and said a tariff-reduction deal “is an option,” although negotiations could still take weeks. He added that Canada is prepared to keep negotiating in Washington until a durable accord is reached. A Canadian official separately confirmed that Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Trump are expected to speak “over the next number of days,” a conversation Ottawa hopes will give political momentum to the talks and narrow differences on the tariff regime.