Washington/Mexico City | Reuters — Top officials from Canada, Mexico and the United States signed a fresh overhaul of a quarter-century-old trade pact on Tuesday that aims to improve enforcement of worker rights and hold down prices for biologic drugs by eliminating a patent provision. The signing ceremony in Mexico City launched what may be […] Read more
Canada, U.S., Mexico sign agreement, again, to replace NAFTA
Freeland, U.S. and Mexican officials to meet to pin down trade deal
Washington/Mexico City | Reuters — The Trump administration, Mexico and U.S. Democrats on Monday closed in on a deal for labour-related changes to a languishing North American trade pact that may soon allow it to proceed to a vote, as the window for passage this year quickly narrows. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and White […] Read more
A ‘little more work’ needed on CUSMA deal, Trudeau says
Ottawa | Reuters — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday said a little more work needed to be done on a new continental trade deal which has run into opposition from some U.S. Democrats over labour and environmental provisions. Officials are trying to agree on a series of tweaks to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (CUSMA) […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Impeachment process stifles markets
MarketsFarm — U.S. President Donald Trump’s impeachment hearings have dominated headlines and stalled progress in numerous trade developments, leaving the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) starved of meaningful news. The Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) has yet to be ratified by the U.S. House of Representatives. The trade pact, meant to replace the North American Free Trade […] Read more
Liberals pledge revamp of federal farm lender
The federal Liberals’ platform heading into the Oct. 21 election calls for an “expanded and enhanced” role for Farm Credit Canada in supporting the country’s agriculture and agrifood sectors. Platform documents released Sunday last week (Sept. 29) call for the merger of several existing federal financial and advisory services — which the Liberals said are […] Read more
Supply-managed sector compensation details due before election
Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has pledged to lay out details on trade pact compensation for supply-managed sectors before the federal election in October. The pledge comes as the federal Liberals face pressure from supply-managed sectors and the federal opposition Conservatives to deliver on compensation for access granted to the Canadian market under Canada’s free […] Read more
Rookie U.S. House Democrats call for COOL revival
Several new members of the U.S. House of Representatives who’ve pressed for stronger language on labour and environmental standards in the revised North American free trade deal now also want it to include country-of-origin labeling (COOL) on meat. A letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, dated Tuesday and signed by 27 freshman House Democrats, […] Read more
USMCA ratification bill amends Canada Grain Act
U.S. complaints that Canada discriminates against its wheat will be addressed, if Canadian legislation to ratify the updated North American Free Trade Agreement becomes law. Bill C-100, the implementing legislation for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), received first and second reading in the House of Commons May 29 and last Tuesday (June 11) respectively. It […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
