Sporting a Washington jersey, LeBlanc attends ‘friendship day’ baseball game in D.C.

OTTAWA — Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc attended a “Canada-U.S. Friendship Day” baseball game in Washington on Tuesday — wearing a Washington Nationals jersey.

LeBlanc was in Washington this week as the U.S. ramped up pressure on Canada in advance of formal talks on the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement on trade, better known as CUSMA.

U.S. President Donald Trump last week threatened to slap new tariffs on an array of Canadian goods starting next month.

LeBlanc is seen wearing a Nationals jersey in several photos posted from the event. In one of the photos, the minister appears to be wearing the jersey of Montreal Expos — the team that moved to Washington more than 20 years ago to become the Nationals.

He also wore an Expos-themed Nationals hat that was included with some of the tickets to the game.

LeBlanc said in the post he was happy to attend the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Washington Nationals to celebrate the two countries’ shared love of baseball.

“My father was a lifelong Montreal Expos fan and every spring break, I looked forward to watching the Expos’ spring training games in Florida with him,” LeBlanc wrote. “Those memories made tonight even more meaningful.”

Janice Charette, Canada’s chief trade negotiator, is with LeBlanc in Washington.

The two met with United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, LeBlanc said in an online post Wednesday.

“We agreed to remain in close contact and continue working together,” LeBlanc said in the post.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2026.

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press