There are pressures on both sides to give businesses a reprieve, but the tone remains markedly downbeat.

The US president has been at pains to promote agreements clinched with trading partners, but many still face the prospect of no deal and high tariffs

Ottawa is still trying to find a trade deal with Washington to avoid heavy tariffs as 1 August deadline approaches

There are pressures on both sides to give businesses a reprieve, but the tone remains markedly downbeat.

Dominic LeBlanc, the federal cabinet minister in charge of U.S.-Canada trade, said that he believed a deal to bring down tariffs remained an option.