Former Conservative trade minister eyes expanded Canada-U.S. pact for added negotiating leverage

Architects of a plan to expand bilateral negotiations with the U.S. say that Canada cannot replace the American market through diversification.

Ed Fast was the international trade minister in then-prime minister Stephen Harper's Conservative cabinet from 2011 to 2015.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

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BY NEIL MOSS

August 6, 2025

Canada will have to broaden its negotiations with the United States to include the totality of the bilateral relationship to gain leverage in any talks with its southern neighbour, says former Conservative trade minister Ed Fast.

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