Ottawa | Reuters — The Canadian government formally presented draft legislation to ratify the new North American Trade deal to parliament on Wednesday, less than 24 hours ahead of a visit by U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presented the bill to the House of Commons, confirming a Reuters story from Tuesday that […] Read more
Tag Archives USMCA — page 3

Canada moves to ratify USMCA ahead of Pence visit

Canada takes first step on ratifying USMCA trade deal
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada took a first step toward ratifying the new North American trade agreement on Monday just three days ahead of U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence’s trip to Ottawa to discuss the passage of the treaty. Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland presented what’s known as a ways and means motion to the House of […] 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

U.S., Canada, Mexico sign trade deal after last-minute brinkmanship
Buenos Aires | Reuters — The leaders of Mexico, Canada and the United States signed a North American trade pact on Friday after brinkmanship over the final details of the deal continued through the eve of the signing. They agreed on a deal in principle to govern the more than trillion dollars of mutual trade […] Read more

Dairy issue nags as U.S., Canada prepare to sign trade pact
New York/Ottawa | Reuters — Dairy remains a sticking point between the United States and Canada as the countries prepare to sign a new North American trade pact this week, according to four sources familiar with the matter. U.S. objections to Canada’s protected internal market for dairy products was a major challenge facing negotiators during […] Read more

Canada to work with China on trade deal despite USMCA clause, Trudeau says
Singapore | Reuters — Canada and China will continue to work together toward an “eventual” free trade deal, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday. This is despite the country being a signatory to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which specifies that if one of its partners enters a free trade deal […] Read more

Opinion: Canada’s new foreign charm offensive
Capital Letters with Kelsey Johnson of iPolitics
In the months after U.S. President Donald Trump was elected to the Oval Office, the Trudeau government launched a major charm offensive. Minister after minister headed south for meetings with American officials including congressmen, senators, governors and senior staff within the Trump administration. Parliamentary committees travelled south to meet with their American counterparts and Canadians […] Read more

U.S. milk producers ask government for more aid, citing $1 bln tariff impact
Washington | Reuters – U.S. milk producers asked the government to increase aid payments to the industry to offset losses from foreign tariffs, saying dairy farmers have lost more than $1 billion in income since May. The administration of President Donald Trump in late May announced tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 […] Read more

Some sweetness found in bitter USMCA deal?
Western sugar beet growers get more access to U.S. market
Flying under the radar in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade is a small change in Canada’s access to the American sugar markets — something that the United States has historically guarded with protectionist policies. In a news release expressing disappointment with many of the concessions granted during trade talks, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture […] Read more