Canadian ambassador to the U.S. on tariffs and trade negotiations

WASHINGTON (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - Canadian Ambassador Kirsten Hillman spoke with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation Sunday about President Donald Trump's tariffs and ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and Canada.

In her earlier interview with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Brennan said Noem "seemed optimistic that there would be follow through on fentanyl," which Brennan asking Ambassador Hillman if she thinks "the threat of tariffs on April 2 is something that can be managed and avoided," and Hillman said:

"I hope so. I mean, I think that we are in a very good place in our discussions with the U.S. administration on fentanyl. We have invested a lot of new resources, we have given our law enforcement new powers and we have responded to the requests of the Trump Administration with respect to cooperative effects in getting at the sources, so the organized crime, the precursors coming from China. We've had some really, really good discussions, so we're optimistic. And, you know, I just would say, and I think it's important...to know fentanyl is a very serious problem in Canada too. On some days, we have more deaths per capita than you have here in the United States. So we take this very seriously. It is not a big issue between our two countries. Less than 1% of the fentanyl that is seized in the United States is coming from Canada, but every ounce can kill families and people. So we're taking it very seriously."

During the interview with Hillman, Brennan reported that President Trump announced Friday that he "may put tariffs on Canadian lumber and dairy Monday or Tuesday," while the Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said, "No, that's actually on hold till April 2."

This prompted Brennan to ask Hillman if the clarity between the U.S. government and the Canadian government is any better, to which Hillman responded saying:

"We are in active discussions with Secretary Lutnick, and those discussions are heading towards April 2, and that, I think, is we are putting our energy in the substantive discussions that we are having with the secretary, with USTR, with the White House. And you know, that is, I guess, how I can answer that question. The President- the President does have a variety of concerns, and I think also sees tariffs as a tool for a variety of policy objectives, but really, all we can do is focus on the real work at hand, which is to get at these issues. Like, for example, lumber, Canada doesn't have a tariff on lumber. It's zero. U.S. lumber can come into Canada duty-free. On dairy, the U.S. sells three times as much dairy into Canada as we sell into the United States. So what's more, I think productive for us is to talk about the facts around the actual trading relationship and try and get at where the concerns are."

To watch more of Brennan's interview with Hillman, click here.