Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will put its own interests first if the next U.S. president restarts trade negotiations toward the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
“We’ve done this before, and we can do it again if we need to,” Trudeau said at a news conference Friday. “As always, we will continue to act in Canada’s best interest.”
The prime minister’s comments follow Republican presidential candidate and former US president Donald Trump’s pledge on Thursday to restart the free trade agreement at the 2026 review time if elected president this November.
“I am formally notifying Mexico and Canada of my intention to invoke the six-year renegotiation clause of the USMCA,” President Trump told the Detroit Economic Club. “It’s almost due. Oh, I’m going to have so much fun.”
President Trump plans to seek stronger protections for transshipment, or indirect routes for goods that pass through multiple ports, to prevent other economies, including China, from introducing goods into the United States through Mexico. said.
“They’re smuggling these things. They’re not paying anything. We’re going to have very strong words about this,” Trump said.
The USMCA, enacted in 2020, was the result of tense negotiations to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), signed by Trump, Trudeau, and former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.
In a September post on X, U.S. Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris also wrote that, if elected, she would review the USMCA as president.
Canada rebels against isolationism: Prime Minister Trudeau
At a press conference Friday, Trudeau said countries around the world are becoming increasingly isolationist, but Canada remains open to trade.
“We’ve been here before, and we know there’s some protectionist sentiment in the United States and indeed in the world right now,” he said. “Canada successfully bucked that trend.”
The Prime Minister noted the many trade relationships Canada has developed in recent years, including with the European Union and Indo-Pacific countries such as Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia.
Regarding possible future negotiations on the USMCA, Prime Minister Trudeau said Canada’s plans would be similar to previous ones.
“We did this by defending Canadian jobs and, in the case of the United States, by demonstrating how integrated our economies are. We are ready to do it again if necessary.”
“Canadians and Americans have always succeeded in working together to create opportunities far beyond our respective countries.”
With files from CTV News’ Daniel Ortiz
