Freeland heads to Washington for renewed push on new NAFTA

By Cormac Mac Sweeney

OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is heading to Washington for a key meeting on the new NAFTA, now called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, amid a renewed push to get the trade pact across the finish line.

With the American Thanksgiving holiday looming, there have been talks at the U.S. trade representative office involving officials from the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Wednesday evening, Freeland is going to take part in a trilateral meeting with her counterparts aimed at speeding up the ratification of this trade deal, which was signed last year.

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So far only Mexico has given the green light while Canada waits for the U.S., which has been locked in months of negotiations between the White House and Democrats, who are seeking changes on environmental and worker provisions.

The Thanksgiving holiday is seen by many as the last reasonable opportunity for U.S. lawmakers to practically dispatch with the USMCA amid the impeachment drama engulfing President Donald Trump ahead of next year’s presidential election.

Canadian officials can’t say how long Wednesday’s meeting will last or whether they will have anything to announce when it wraps.

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