Canadian officials will meet their Mexican and American counterparts on July 1 for the first tri-lateral meeting to review the Canada-U.S.-Mexico (CUSMA) agreement, a spokesperson for Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic Leblanc confirmed.
In a statement to CTV News, the spokesperson said Leblanc is looking forward to meeting with his U.S. and Mexican counterparts on July 1, “as prescribed in the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.”
“This will be an opportunity to build on the positive, constructive bilateral discussions he has had with both countries in recent weeks,” the spokesperson said.
Minister Leblanc and Chief Trade Negotiator Janice Charette met with the United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France last week.
The U.S. and Mexico have already started formal bi-lateral negotiations, while Canada and the U.S. have not yet done so.
July 1 is the deadline for all three parties involved in the trade pact to decide whether to renew the deal for another 16 years, withdraw from the agreement altogether, or start an annual rolling review process that could last years.
Both Canada and Mexico have expressed they’d like to extend the current deal for 16 more years, but while Washington has not officially stated its intention, Trump has signalled he does not want to extend the current deal.
In France last week Minister Leblanc said talks with his U.S. counterpart about the critical continental trade pact have not been a “one-way conversation.”
In the statement to CTV News the minister’s office said he is “looking forward to continuing the work of supporting Canadian workers, farmers and businesses, on July 1 and beyond.”
With files from the Canadian Press
