Obama says, "I want to assure you your Prime Minister raises this every time we meet each other."

Barack Obama is playing down Buy American government procurement policies that exclude Canadian suppliers, suggesting it is an isolated problem and raising hopes that local U.S. governments might cut deals with provinces to expand cross-border bidding.

The always diplomatic U.S. president was telling Canadians, in other words, to stop overreacting.

“I want to assure you your Prime Minister raises this with me every time we see each other,” he said after the Three Amigos meetings with Mr. Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon. “[But] I think it's also important to keep it in perspective, that in fact we have not seen some sweeping steps toward protectionism,” he said.