Canada's trade negotiators Dominic LeBlanc and Janice Charette met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer for a fourth time in three weeks as a 50% tariff deadline looms Aug. 19, with Charette warning that talks would halt and Canada would retaliate if the tariffs proceed.
Separately, RBC and BMO agreed to sell Canadian payments processor Moneris, which handles a third of the country's transactions, to California's Francisco Partners for about $2 billion, prompting concerns over data sovereignty. Air Canada is selling a 25% stake in Aeroplan to Blackstone and Canadian pension funds for $2.5 billion, valuing the loyalty program at over $10 billion.
Amazon warehouse workers in Delta, B.C. are close to a first collective agreement with Unifor, but Amazon has asked regulators to pause bargaining after a separate employee group sought to decertify the union. Meanwhile, Ottawa's Major Projects Office is reviewing $192 billion worth of proposals amid questions about transparency and speed.
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