Ottawa | Reuters — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday said a little more work needed to be done on a new continental trade deal which has run into opposition from some U.S. Democrats over labour and environmental provisions. Officials are trying to agree on a series of tweaks to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (CUSMA) […] Read more
Tag Archives CUSMA

A ‘little more work’ needed on CUSMA deal, Trudeau says

CBOT weekly outlook: Impeachment process stifles markets
MarketsFarm — U.S. President Donald Trump’s impeachment hearings have dominated headlines and stalled progress in numerous trade developments, leaving the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) starved of meaningful news. The Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) has yet to be ratified by the U.S. House of Representatives. The trade pact, meant to replace the North American Free Trade […] Read more

Liberals pledge revamp of federal farm lender
The federal Liberals’ platform heading into the Oct. 21 election calls for an “expanded and enhanced” role for Farm Credit Canada in supporting the country’s agriculture and agrifood sectors. Platform documents released Sunday last week (Sept. 29) call for the merger of several existing federal financial and advisory services — which the Liberals said are […] Read more

Supply-managed sector compensation details due before election
Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has pledged to lay out details on trade pact compensation for supply-managed sectors before the federal election in October. The pledge comes as the federal Liberals face pressure from supply-managed sectors and the federal opposition Conservatives to deliver on compensation for access granted to the Canadian market under Canada’s free […] Read more

Rookie U.S. House Democrats call for COOL revival
Several new members of the U.S. House of Representatives who’ve pressed for stronger language on labour and environmental standards in the revised North American free trade deal now also want it to include country-of-origin labeling (COOL) on meat. A letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, dated Tuesday and signed by 27 freshman House Democrats, […] Read more

USMCA ratification bill amends Canada Grain Act
U.S. complaints that Canada discriminates against its wheat will be addressed, if Canadian legislation to ratify the updated North American Free Trade Agreement becomes law. Bill C-100, the implementing legislation for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), received first and second reading in the House of Commons May 29 and last Tuesday (June 11) respectively. It […] Read more

Ways to live with narrower dairy profit margins
The gradual implementation of trade deals is expected to squeeze growth on dairy farmers as expenses increase
Dairy producers haven’t yet felt the implications of recent trade deals, but they will soon. “These deals have really not affected [the dairy producers] at all,” says Jack Rodenburg, with DairyLogix. But, he says producers will feel the impact this year and then the market will be affected, especially from 2020 to 2025. Rodenburg spoke […] Read more

Easing concern about CUSMA dairy concessions
Al Mussell sees potential for some Canadian ingredients to continue crossing border
Once the dust has settled on the ratifications of the Canada-United States-Mexico trade agreement (CUSMA), access to U.S. markets for certain Canadian dairy ingredients could meet or even exceed what previously existed. At least that was the assertion made by Al Mussell, research lead at Guelph-based Agri-Food Economic Systems, during a recent dairy producer information […] Read more

Canadian negotiator said CUSMA deal had to be done
The Canadian negotiators received pressure to end supply management until late in the negotiations
Canadian agriculture negotiators were dealing with proposals from the United States that would end supply management into September, 2018, not long before the deal was eventually completed at the end of September. That goes against the assurances of U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue while visiting Canada last summer that the Americans didn’t want an end […] Read more