Senators seek to restore alliance with Canada

Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland speaks with reporters after meeting with the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 13, 2018. Freeland's visit comes after President Donald Trump insulted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the recent Group of Seven summit in Canada, calling him "dishonest" and "weak" after the prime minister spoke against American tariffs on steel and aluminum. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland speaks with reporters after meeting with the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 13, 2018. Freeland's visit comes after President Donald Trump insulted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the recent Group of Seven summit in Canada, calling him "dishonest" and "weak" after the prime minister spoke against American tariffs on steel and aluminum. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON -- Senators from both parties sought to mend a frayed relationship with Canada on Wednesday during a closed meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland.

The meeting involving members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee came days after President Donald Trump called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "dishonest" and "weak" after the Group of Seven summit in Quebec over the weekend.

Sen. Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the committee, said senators expressed concerns about the president's use of a national security waiver to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada. Corker said he believes it's an abuse of presidential authority.

Corker has sponsored legislation that would require Congress to sign off on such tariffs, called Section 232 tariffs, but he has struggled to get a vote. Many Republicans are reluctant to pick a fight with Trump over trade right now as he seeks better deals with China and a slew of U.S. allies.

Freeland said Canada values its relationship with the U.S. However, she called the administration's use of Section 232 tariffs "frankly absurd."

"The notion that Canadian steel and aluminum could pose a national security threat to the United States, I think Americans understand it's simply not the case," Freeland said.

She added that the action is illegal under World Trade Organization rules and the North American Free Trade Agreement, "and we have raised cases in both tribunals."

Trump angered U.S. allies Canada, Mexico and the European Union two weeks ago by slapping tariffs on their steel and aluminum shipments to the United States; most other countries have been paying the tariffs since March.

In a speech Wednesday night, Freeland criticized Trump, without mentioning him by name, for ignoring the "rules-based" trading system whose "principal architect" was the United States.

"You may feel today that your size allows you to go mano-a-mano with your traditional adversaries and be guaranteed to win," she said. "But if history tells us one thing, it is that no one nation's pre-eminence is eternal."

Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., said he told Freeland that Democrats cherish the relationship with Canada and don't agree with the Trump administration's claim of a national security threat when it comes to Canadian steel and aluminum. He said he made clear to Freeland that Democrats have a "totally different view than President Trump" about Trudeau.

A Section on 06/14/2018

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