USTR's Greer says US has eliminated some of the irritants it had with Canada over the last year

Bilateral trade friction of this kind between the US and Canada has historically cycled through negotiation, threatened or imposed tariffs, and partial de-escalation, with statements from the USTR office typically serving as the pacing signal between stages. Language about eliminating irritants is the softening end of that cycle and has usually preceded either tariff suspensions, quota adjustments, or the deferral of deadlines rather than a full resolution. The sectors that have tended to carry the friction, softwood lumber, dairy market access, digital services taxes, and autos rules of origin, are the ones where concrete follow-through would be visible. The usual sequence is a cordial statement, then lower-level technical talks, then a measurable policy step; the absence of the third stage has on previous occasions seen rhetoric re-tighten. Worth observing is whether the counterpart in Ottawa confirms the same account and whether any scheduled tariff or review dates are formally moved, since those are the verifiable markers. As commentary it is directional and CAD-positive at the margin, but the established pattern is that such remarks fade without a documented concession.