Washington DC - US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Friday said that President Donald Trump is "comfortable" with how things stand with Canada and is in no rush to reach a trade deal.

"The reality is President Trump is comfortable where we are on Canada," Greer said during a Friday interview on CNBC, indicating that relations are good between the formerly close allies.

"They call us now and then and we have good conversations about potential deals," he explained. "But there's no urgency on our side."

"We're still getting what we need from them in terms of oil, gas, potash, all of these things. We're shipping back and forth across the border, so there's still a lot of strong trade between the two countries."

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Greer maintained month-long claims by the Trump administration that recent flare-ups in the Canada-US relationship were triggered because Ottawa refused to agree to a trade deal that was fair for both sides.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and his cabinet, have labeled the proposed deal "uneconomic" and "unfair" and leveled numerous accusations at Washington, including that officials had made unacceptable "threats" to the French language and "Quebec culture."

Since the tariff war reignited in mid-August, it has showed little sign of easing. Recent rounds have seen bans on Canadian alcohol in the US and worsening tariff rates. On Monday, a Canadian steel manufacturer announced mass layoffs due to difficulties brought on by the brutal trade war.

Ottawa has tried to calm things down, Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc saying Greer's comments on CNBC were consistent with their ongoing discussions.

"We'll continue to do the good faith work to try and get the agreement, but I'm not waiting by my phone," LeBlanc was cited as saying by CBC.

"We're continuing to do the work, but we are always ready to talk to the Americans about trying to find the right agreement," he said.