With just days to go until U.S. President Donald Trump is currently set to impose a sweeping new 50 per cent tariff on billions of dollars in Canadian exports, Canada – U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc was scheduled to meet with his American counterpart, Jamieson Greer, on Sunday as the two sides scramble to come up with a deal that would allow Canada to dodge the threatened new levies, which are currently set to come into effect at one minute after midnight on Wednesday.

Speaking with iPolitics late last week, a “Canadian source familiar with the talks” suggested that the two countries hadn’t yet “made a major breakthrough” following a flurry of face-to-face discussions last week.

“The source said there remains several sticking points and dissatisfaction with where some of the proposed terms currently stand, including over potential Canadian concessions on dairy,” iPolitics notes.

“The source said the Americans appear to be open to extending the deadline considering progress in talks, but it’s unclear if it’s something Canada would agree to. iPolitics reported over the weekend that Canadian negotiators weren’t pursuing a deadline extension.”

Even if a tentative agreement can be reached, it would have to be approved by both the president and Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is currently due to return to Canada on Monday after spending the week on a “reduced schedule” in Italy, during which time he remained “in close contact with his team and officials,” according to the advisory sent out by his office ahead of his departure.

For his part, Carney would first have to secure at least the provisional support of provincial and territorial premiers, who, depending on the terms of the still-hypothetical deal, would likely have to agree to end their respective bans on the sale of American alcohol, which, as CBC News notes, is now a “red line” for the Trump administration.

“Some provinces are refusing to lift their bans on American alcohol unless Washington offers relief on tariffs affecting their own industries. And that is putting Ottawa in a bind — with sources telling CBC News some negotiators now fear a deal may not be finalized if provincial opposition remains firmly entrenched,” the broadcaster reported on Sunday.

Hitting the ministerial circuit this week:

• Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu heads to Guelph for a mid-morning tour of the Frank Hasenfratz Centre For Excellence In Manufacturing, where, according to her office, she’ll also team up with local Liberal MP Dominique O’Rourke to launch the Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Alliance, which, as per the advisory, will “identify and advance solutions to bolster the skilled workforce needed across Canada’s advanced manufacturing sector.” (Monday a.m.)
• Elsewhere in Ontario, Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon, whose portfolio also includes FedDev Ontario, will deliver a fresh tranche of federal support for Lindsay-area businesses. (Monday a.m.)
• Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty will share the details of new federal financial assistance to “improve and modernize the tourism offering” of an unnamed local enterprise located on her political home turf of Val-d’Or, Que. (Monday a.m.)
• Later this week, Gull Masty will join Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski to provide an update on the forecast for the current wildfire season during a “virtual” briefing at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa. (Tuesday p.m.)

Back in the precinct, members of the PUBLIC SAFETY AND NATIONAL SECURITY committee are set to hold a special mid-recess session to consider an opposition-initiated call to investigate what the written request sent to the chair by Conservative MP Frank Caputo describes as “disturbing reports that a Canadian woman who previously worked as an intern at NATO’s military headquarters in Belgium is facing serious allegations of espionage,” which was co-signed by his three colleagues and, according to the Conservative-issued press release, also backed by the Bloc Québécois.

As per the letter, Caputo and his colleagues want the committee to take a closer look at “the circumstances surrounding these allegations,” including — but presumably not limited to — “whether the appropriate security checks were conducted, whether Canadian authorities were aware of any warning signs  and whether weaknesses in Canada’s screening processes may have placed sensitive information or the security of our allies at risk.”

Under the reconfigured committee structure, the proposed study would need the backing of at least one Liberal MP to proceed. (Monday p.m.)

Also on the radar: With Canadian honey exports among the hundreds of products targeted by Trump’s threatened new 50 per cent levy, representatives of the Canadian Beekeepers Federation will “urgently call” on the government to roll out a ‘Tariff Honey Action Plan’ before the “crippling” new tariff is set to take effect, which would include “necessary emergency financial relief, biosecurity perimeters and international trade interventions.” (Monday a.m.)