Reading Time: < 1 minute Asuncion| Reuters — South American trade bloc Mercosur formally launched discussions for a trade deal with Canada on Friday, in a move officials said would signal an embrace of free trade at a time other countries are moving toward protectionist policies. For Canada, the talks with the group, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, […] Read more
Trade bloc Mercosur, Canada launch talks for trade deal
Canada sticks to measured tack in U.S. trade row
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Canada is sticking to its keep-calm strategy as U.S. President Donald Trump ramps up trade war rhetoric, convinced that no move is the best move for the country with the most to lose, but critics say it risks being a soft target if its strategy fails. While the European Union immediately […] Read more
U.S. pushes NAFTA talks pace, warns of political headwinds
Reading Time: 3 minutes Mexico City | Reuters — Mexican and U.S. officials pushed on Monday to speed up NAFTA negotiations, with the U.S. floating the idea of reaching an agreement “in principle” in coming weeks to avoid political headwinds later this year. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, showing impatience at the slow pace of the talks, said Mexico’s […] Read more
Steel shock drives wedge into sluggish NAFTA talks
Reading Time: 3 minutes Mexico City | Reuters — Negotiators trying to rework the NAFTA trade deal on Thursday were hit by the prospect of a battle over U.S. steel tariffs that could make it more complicated to build autos in North America, one of the most sensitive issues at the talks. U.S. President Donald Trump said he would […] Read more
Amid fresh Trump tension, negotiators seek NAFTA progress
Reading Time: 3 minutes Mexico City | Reuters — U.S., Mexican and Canadian negotiators met on Monday seeking to narrow disagreements on how to overhaul the NAFTA trade deal despite renewed signs of tension between Mexico and U.S. President Donald Trump over his planned border wall. The trade teams began a seventh round of talks on Sunday aiming to […] Read more
Canada to seek Mercosur trade pact amid NAFTA uncertainty
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — The Canadian government plans to open free trade talks with the four-nation Mercosur trading bloc in South America, an official said on Friday, at a time when the future of NAFTA is facing increasing uncertainty. Canada sends around 75 per cent of its goods exports to the U.S. and is looking […] Read more
Dairy farmers get no assurances on NAFTA
Reading Time: 2 minutes Dairy farmers are seeking assurances there would be no more access to Canada’s dairy market in a renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement — but Lawrence MacAulay, Canada’s minister of agriculture and agri-food, would not provide them. “Because of the NAFTA negotiations going on, we have to be careful what we say publicly,” MacAulay said […] Read more
Trudeau talks tough on NAFTA, repeats he could walk away
Reading Time: < 1 minute Nanaimo, B.C. | Reuters — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a tough line on NAFTA on Friday, repeating that he could walk away if he was not happy with talks to modernize a pact the U.S. contends needs major changes. “The negotiations are complex and challenging … I’ve said many times, we are not […] Read more
Trudeau says doesn’t think Trump will pull U.S. out of NAFTA
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters –– Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday said he did not think U.S. President Donald Trump would pull out of NAFTA, despite slow progress at negotiations to update the US$1.2 trillion trade pact. Trudeau’s comments were among the most positive made by any Canadian official since talks started last year to […] Read more
U.S. rejects proposals to unblock NAFTA, but will stay in talks
Reading Time: 3 minutes Montreal | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade chief on Monday dismissed Canadian proposals for unblocking NAFTA modernization talks but pledged to stay at the table, easing concerns about a potentially imminent U.S. withdrawal from the trilateral pact. Trump, who described the 1994 pact as a disaster that has drained manufacturing jobs to Mexico, […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
