The leader of Canada’s most populous province said Wednesday that all of the country’s provincial and territorial governments want Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s federal government to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the United States that excludes Mexico. has gone
Ontario Premier Doug Ford chaired a phone call with all 13 provincial and territorial premiers and said he wants Trudeau to sign a direct bilateral trade deal with the U.S., Canada’s top trading partner.
The meeting and Ford’s comments come as provincial and federal governments in Canada prepare for the uncertainty of another Donald Trump presidency.
“There’s a clear consensus that everybody agrees that we need a bilateral trade agreement with the U.S. and a separate bilateral trade agreement with Mexico,” Ford told reporters in Toronto after a call with provincial leaders. need.”
“We know that Mexico is bringing in cheap Chinese parts, slapping made-in-Mexico stickers on them, and shipping them through the U.S. and Canada, which is killing American jobs and killing Canadian jobs. We want fair trade,” he said.
Ford said he has requested a meeting with the Trudeau government to discuss the issue.
Asked about the issue at the morning press briefing. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Trudeau “doesn’t agree” and wants to “maintain the agreement and strengthen the relationship between the three countries.”
During a bilateral meeting during the G20 summit, Mexico proposed to draft a document with concrete data on how the agreement would benefit each of the three countries, he said. It happens because there is a misconception that it only benefits Mexico or Canada.
But Trudeau’s federal government on Tuesday did not rule out ignoring Mexico in future trade talks. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said she shares U.S. concerns about Mexico acting as a back door for China to import cheap goods into the North American market as a trade deal is reviewed. is known as the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Freeland said members of outgoing US President Joe Biden’s administration and supporters and advisers to President-elect Trump have expressed “very serious” concerns to him about the issue, and Canada shares them.
Freeland chairs a special cabinet committee on US-Canada relations created to address concerns about a second Trump presidency. Freeland is meeting with provincial, business and labor leaders across Canada.
Canada has taken a “Team Canada” approach in previous trade talks with Trump. It crossed all party lines.
Trudeau called Trump after his election victory and the two discussed the trade deal Trump negotiated with Canada and Mexico during his first term, the USMCA, which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. took the place of
Ottawa will soon have to focus on a scheduled review of the treaty in 2026.
During the recent US election campaign, Trump proposed tariffs of 10% to 20% on foreign goods – and mentioned even higher percentages in some speeches. Trump has not said whether his administration would exempt Canada.
During Trump’s first term, his move to renegotiate NAFTA and reports that he was considering a 25% tariff on the auto sector were considered an existential threat in Canada at the time.
Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and 75% of Canadian exports, including vehicles, go to the United States.
Ford said provincial and territorial leaders will meet in person in Toronto in mid-December to discuss their U.S. trade concerns. He also noted that there is a meeting of US governors in February that he said he would like to attend.
Later Wednesday, Trump announced that former Michigan Republican Rep. Pat Hoekstra, who served as ambassador to the Netherlands during his first term, has been selected as his incoming administration’s ambassador to Canada. .
“Pete will once again help me put America first,” the president-elect said in a statement.
