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At the end of a long, confusing day on Friday, Canadian officials now say they’re at the table and a deal is close. Officials blamed Trudeau’s meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe running late for the no-show at the leaders meeting.

The news comes after conflicting reports in foreign media on Thursday about a deal being struck. Canadian officials and politicians moved quickly to quash those reports and have tried to throw cold water on the idea that Canada was ever ready to sign the trade deal this week.

Confusion reigned after that meeting, with the New Zealand trade minister saying “one country” had blocked the deal but that it wasn’t Canada. Even so, the Canadian appetite to put pen to paper hasn’t been apparent.

The National Post reported last week that an announcement at APEC was “unlikely,” according to a Liberal government official familiar with the matter.

Trudeau told travelling media on Wednesday that he refuses to be rushed into a deal and multiple ministers have echoed those comments.

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One of Trudeau’s top advisors retweeted a Twitter user who said “it’s really hard to understand how anyone who listened to Canada” would believe the country would sign on to the trade deal this week.

Australian media has reported that a “substantial conclusion” on the deal has been reached and it just needs leaders to sign off on it.

Canada’s no-show has angered the Australian government, which was keen to announce a deal and sees it as an embarrassment to Vietnam, where the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit is being hosted this week, according to Australian media.