Anita Anand, Marco Rubio to meet in Washington amid Canada-U.S. tariff uncertainty

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is travelling to Washington on Thursday for talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as Ottawa seeks to advance its priorities with the United States.

Global Affairs Canada said Anand and Rubio will discuss “continental security and other global priorities,” but provided no further details.

According to the US Department of State, the two officials are scheduled to meet at the White House at 1:30 PM EDT.

The meeting will be closed to the media and Anand’s office said the discussions are not related to ongoing trade negotiations.

The visit comes as Canadian premiers await further details about progress towards a trade agreement with Washington.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said Wednesday he was “optimistic” about a potential deal, adding that Prime Minister Mark Carney had asked provinces to restock American alcohol.

BC Premier David Eby said Ottawa had made substantial progress in key sectors, while Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said he hoped negotiations would reduce US tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminium, vehicles and lumber.

Quebec Premier Christine Frechette was more cautious, saying it was too early to assess the potential agreement without further details.