(AFP) – Canada has formally told the United States and Mexico that it wants to renew the North American free trade agreement derided by President Donald Trump, a letter released Tuesday said. Ottawa’s minister in charge of Canada-US trade, Dominic LeBlanc, penned the letter a day before heading to Washington for talks with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the future of the United States-Canada-Mexico Agreement (USMCA).
The letter, dated June 1, addressed to Greer and Mexico’s Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, says “Canada recommends the renewal of the agreement for another 16 years.” Parties to the USMCA have until July 1 to indicate whether they simply want to renew the agreement or renegotiate. Trump signed and praised the USMCA during his first term but now calls the deal “irrelevant.” He has imposed punishing tariffs on key Canadian sectors, like autos, and maintains that the United States does not need anything produced in Canada.
He has also persistently mused about annexing Canada, including this week, when he reacted to a story about Canada’s struggling economy by posting “51st State!”, renewing his claim that Canada would be stronger if absorbed into the United States. The United States and Mexico wrapped up their initial round of USMCA revision talks last week. US officials have broadly praised Mexico’s approach to trade negotiations while mocking Canada and insulting Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has become one of Trump’s most prominent critics on the world stage.
Despite the friction in US-Canada relations, Greer has said that he envisions preserving parts of the USMCA. In his letter, LeBlanc said the agreement “is highly beneficial to each of our countries,” citing figures that trilateral trade had increased 32 percent since the USMCA came into force in 2020. But LeBlanc added Canada understands the United States and Mexico “may wish to propose areas where improvements may be warranted,” adding that for Ottawa addressing Trump’s sector-specific tariffs “will be essential.”
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