Trade Minister Sidhu set to speak with U.S. trade rep at G20 meeting in Wisconsin

International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu is expected to speak with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer during the G20 trade ministers' meeting in Wisconsin this week.

Sidhu's spokesperson said a specific time and format for that conversation have not been set.

Sidhu has bilateral meetings scheduled for Wednesday with the trade ministers for France, Australia and Turkey, and is meeting with India's representative on Thursday.

The two-day meeting of trade ministers from the world's biggest economies is being held in Milwaukee amid a global trade disruption caused in large part by U.S. President Donald Trump's trade agenda. 

Sidhu said in a media statement he wants to use the meeting to pitch Canada as an "open, predictable and rules-based" trading partner.

"I am focused on delivering a clear message to our G20 partners: Canada is committed to a strong, rules-based global trading system and is a reliable partner in an uncertain world," he said.

"Every meeting at the G20 is a chance to open more doors for Canadian workers and businesses, and we are moving at speed to seize it."

Canada is looking to reduce its economic reliance on the United States in response to Washington repeatedly targeting Canadian goods with tariffs.

Canada walked away from talks on a potential trade deal with the U.S. last month and imposed its own suite of retaliatory tariffs on $28 billion worth of American goods.

The U.S. escalated the trade war again earlier this week by imposing import bans on several Canadian goods, including most alcohol, dairy byproducts and motorcycles.

The bans on American alcohol sales introduced by all provinces apart from Alberta and Saskatchewan have been a major irritant for the Trump administration.

On Tuesday, Trump continued the war of words with Canada, calling it "the worst country."

"I love the Canadian people, but the leaders have taken advantage of our stupid leadership for many, many years," Trump said at the White House.

"They act like they're totally innocent. They're not. They were very bad. But now they're being taught a little lesson."

In Sidhu's statement, he said Canada's key priorities for the meeting include advancing a digital trade agreement with the European Union, advancing talks with the South American trade bloc Mercosur, and working on an economic partnership agreement with India.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2026.

By David Baxter | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.