U.S. Commerce Secretary Lutnick accused Canadian Prime Minister Carney of
shelving a bilateral trade deal for political reasons, saying Ottawa delayed
agreement to shore up support ahead of an October preliminary 'independence'
referendum in Alberta and a Quebec election. Sources say the impasse centered on
tariff cuts for medium- and heavy-duty trucks: Canada wanted reductions matching
passenger-car concessions, which the U.S. rejected. Lutnick said the truck
request emerged only hours before talks collapsed and that the breakdown
reflected politics rather than numerical terms.
