Premiers meet with top White House officials in frank discussion about border, tariffs [Video]

Canada’s premiers met at the White House Wednesday with two senior officials in President Donald Trump’s administration for a discussion they described as frank and constructive, but that nevertheless ended with no guarantees punishing tariffs could be avoided.

The meeting with Mr. Trump’s deputy chief of staff James Blair and Sergio Gor, director of the Presidential Personnel Office, capped off a two-day visit to the capital. Premiers said they pressed the case that Canada is a willing economic partner as well as a sovereign nation that will never join the United States as the 51st state, as Mr. Trump has repeatedly suggested.

It was the latest push by provincial and federal officials in a months-long campaign to head off damaging tariffs. The effort began in November when Mr. Trump said he would add a 25-per-cent levy on all Canadian and Mexican goods. Mr. Trump put those tariffs on pause earlier this month until at least March 4. This week, however, he announced 25-per-cent tariffs on all steel …