As U.S. President Donald Trump continues to hold out the threat of steep tariffs on Canadian imports, the federal trade minister is citing a new deal with Ecuador as proof that its trade diversification strategy is working

Mary Ng told The Canadian Press the free-trade agreement with Ecuador, the sixth-largest economy in South America, is the 16th such deal signed since the government launched its trade diversification push eight years ago.

A lot of the existing trade with Ecuador is agricultural, with the South American nation sending Canada bananas, cocoa beans and seafood, while Canada sends wheat, cereal and lentils.

Statistics Canada says the top products traded between the two nations also include petroleum products, fertilizers and precious metals. Ng said she sees opportunities in services as well.

Canada hasn香蕉视频直播檛 had much luck in talks with its traditional trading partners in recent years. The U.K. walked away from trade talks with Canada last year over access to the cheese market.

Ng said that while she would welcome the U.K. back to the talks, she香蕉视频直播檚 currently focused on expanding trade with other countries.

香蕉视频直播淐anada welcomes the United Kingdom back at any time they wish to come back to the to the table,香蕉视频直播� she said.

香蕉视频直播淏ut in the meantime, we have concluded an agreement with Indonesia. In the meantime, I香蕉视频直播檝e launched exploratory discussions with the Philippines. In the meantime, we are at the negotiating table with the ASEAN group of countries and nations, and we香蕉视频直播檝e just concluded Ecuador, and we will continue to take businesses abroad into these markets.香蕉视频直播�

Ottawa is in trade talks with the ten nations in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It also launched exploratory discussions with the Philippines late last year, around the same time it finalized a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with Indonesia.

Ng said she is considering travelling to Australia and Singapore this month as well.

Boosting trade with ASEAN countries is part of Canada香蕉视频直播檚 Indo-Pacific strategy. But that strategy has encountered turbulence as well.

Trade talks between Canada and India, which had been stop-and-go for about a decade, were abruptly put on ice in the fall of 2023 and have not resumed since.

That rupture happened immediately after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stood in Parliament to state that his government had 香蕉视频直播渃redible allegations香蕉视频直播� linking agents of the Indian government to the murder of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot to death in Surrey, B.C. months earlier.

The U.S. has given Canada a month-long reprieve from Trump香蕉视频直播檚 threat to impose steep tariffs in response to what he claims is Canada香蕉视频直播檚 inaction on border security and drug trafficking. But the incoming administration also has indicated there are other major sticking points that will come up down the road.

香蕉视频直播淐anada, as we spoke about, treats our dairy farmers horribly. That香蕉视频直播檚 got to end,香蕉视频直播� Howard Lutnick, Trump香蕉视频直播檚 pick for commerce secretary, said at a hearing on Jan. 29. 香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 going to work hard to make sure, as an example, for your dairy farmers 香蕉视频直播� (that) they do much, much better in Canada than they香蕉视频直播檝e ever done before, and that is a key focus of this administration.香蕉视频直播�

Ng suggested Ottawa won香蕉视频直播檛 put supply management in the dairy sector on the table with the Trump administration, citing the last major round of trade talks with the U.S. after Trump reopened NAFTA.

香蕉视频直播淲hen we negotiated those provisions with respect to dairy and agriculture, they香蕉视频直播檙e a part of a balance of a whole number of things that were negotiated at the time,香蕉视频直播� she said, adding it was ultimately Trump香蕉视频直播檚 deal. 香蕉视频直播淎griculture, dairy, supply management was part and parcel of a broader negotiation.香蕉视频直播�

But the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) will be up for review in the summer of 2026.

Ng, who has helped spearhead Canada香蕉视频直播檚 approach to the incoming U.S. administration for the past year, said she and Industry Minister Fran莽ois-Philippe Champagne have had upwards of 1,300 meetings with American stakeholders and politicians to send the message that it香蕉视频直播檚 not worth the pain to squeeze Canada with tariffs.

香蕉视频直播淚 keep reminding people that Canada buys more from the United States than Japan, than China, than the United Kingdom combined,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淲e are a big customer and tariffs only hurt the American consumer. They hurt them at the grocery stores, at the pumps.香蕉视频直播�

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has urged the federal government to press for the elimination of internal trade barriers, now that the trading relationship with the U.S. is under threat.

It estimates internal trade barriers act like a 21 per cent tariff on Canadian goods.