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Trudeau Not Sure He Wants To Travel For USMCA Celebration With Trump, Mexico

(SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

David Krayden Ottawa Bureau Chief
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday he is undecided about whether he wants to travel to Washington, D.C. to celebrate the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA).

Although the agreement became official on July 1, Trudeau is concerned that the United States will resume placing tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel, Reuters reported. He also cited health concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is expected to meet with President Donald Trump and has indicated that Trudeau’s attendance would be welcomed, according to Reuters.

HERTFORD, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 04: U.S. President Donald Trump (L) ad Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (R) attend the NATO summit at the Grove Hotel on December 4, 2019 in Watford, England. France and the UK signed the Treaty of Dunkirk in 1947 in the aftermath of WW2 cementing a mutual alliance in the event of an attack by Germany or the Soviet Union. The Benelux countries joined the Treaty and in April 1949 expanded further to include North America and Canada followed by Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. This new military alliance became the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The organisation grew with Greece and Turkey becoming members and a re-armed West Germany was permitted in 1955. This encouraged the creation of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact delineating the two sides of the Cold War. This year marks the 70th anniversary of NATO. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump (L) ad Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (R) attend the NATO summit at the Grove Hotel on Dec. 4, 2019 in Watford, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

“We’re still in discussions with the Americans about whether a trilateral summit next week makes sense,” Trudeau said at his daily news conference in Ottawa. “We’re obviously concerned about the proposed issue of tariffs on aluminum and steel that the Americans have floated recently.” (RELATED: With Canada Day Celebrations Cancelled, Thousands Blanket Ottawa Streets To Protest Trudeau Government ‘Corruption’)

Trump placed tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel in 2018 while trade negotiators were trying to carve out a treaty to replace NAFTA, an agreement Trump vowed to replace when he ran for the presidency in 2016.

The president is again contemplating a 10% tariff on Canadian aluminum and steel in response to demands from the domestic industry.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference at Rideau Cottage as efforts continue to help slow the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada March 29, 2020. REUTERS/Blair Gable

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference at Rideau Cottage as efforts continue to help slow the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada March 29, 2020. (REUTERS/Blair Gable)

Trudeau also cited his concerns about the “health situation and the coronavirus reality that is still hitting all three of our countries” as another reason he might stay home next week. (RELATED: Trudeau Explains How He’s Helping To Reduce Plastics — With Drink Boxes)

Trudeau did not test positive for coronavirus when tested but his wife, Sophie Gregoire, did come down with the virus and has recovered.

The prime minister has maintained regular news conferences with Ottawa reporters throughout the coronavirus lockdown.