OTTAWA — Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau spoke Thursday about their hope to reach a deal by the end of this year on a new North American Free Trade Agreement. The White House offered up that nugget in a Thursday readout from Washington on the phone call between the president and the prime minister over the deaths and destruction in Texas and Louisiana caused by hurricane Harvey. “President Trump thanked Prime Minister Trudeau and the people of Canada for their offer of assistance and underscored the close ties between our two nations,” said the White House release. It said Trudeau offered Trump condolences over the damage caused by the torrential rains that have flooded vast swaths of Texas. Ottawa trade consultant Adam Taylor, an aide to former Conservative trade minister Ed Fast, said it is Mexico and the U.S. that want a speedy resolution to the talks, not Canada.

Source: National Post August 31, 2017 20:14 UTC