Ottawa | Reuters — The Canadian government formally presented draft legislation to ratify the new North American Trade deal to parliament on Wednesday, less than 24 hours ahead of a visit by U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presented the bill to the House of Commons, confirming a Reuters story from Tuesday that […] Read more

Canada moves to ratify USMCA ahead of Pence visit

Canada takes first step on ratifying USMCA trade deal
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada took a first step toward ratifying the new North American trade agreement on Monday just three days ahead of U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence’s trip to Ottawa to discuss the passage of the treaty. Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland presented what’s known as a ways and means motion to the House of […] Read more

U.S., Canada, Mexico sign trade deal after last-minute brinkmanship
Buenos Aires | Reuters — The leaders of Mexico, Canada and the United States signed a North American trade pact on Friday after brinkmanship over the final details of the deal continued through the eve of the signing. They agreed on a deal in principle to govern the more than trillion dollars of mutual trade […] Read more

Dairy issue nags as U.S., Canada prepare to sign trade pact
New York/Ottawa | Reuters — Dairy remains a sticking point between the United States and Canada as the countries prepare to sign a new North American trade pact this week, according to four sources familiar with the matter. U.S. objections to Canada’s protected internal market for dairy products was a major challenge facing negotiators during […] Read more

Canada to work with China on trade deal despite USMCA clause, Trudeau says
Singapore | Reuters — Canada and China will continue to work together toward an “eventual” free trade deal, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday. This is despite the country being a signatory to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which specifies that if one of its partners enters a free trade deal […] Read more

U.S. milk producers ask government for more aid, citing $1 bln tariff impact
Washington | Reuters – U.S. milk producers asked the government to increase aid payments to the industry to offset losses from foreign tariffs, saying dairy farmers have lost more than $1 billion in income since May. The administration of President Donald Trump in late May announced tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 […] Read more

U.S. Senate will not vote on USMCA in 2018, McConnell says
Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Senate’s top Republican said on Tuesday that senators will not vote to approve a revised North American trade pact in 2018, leaving the issue to the next Congress. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell told Bloomberg Television that the Senate will not have time to take up the new United […] Read more

Trade certainty doesn’t translate to higher loonie
CNS Canada — Even with more certainty around trade with the U.S., Canadians shouldn’t expect to see the dollar flying in value. “It’s hard for me to see the Canadian dollar gain value against the U.S. dollar in the short term, unless the Bank of Canada totally revises its stance towards interest rates,” said J.P. […] Read more

Dairy farmers unhappy after meeting Trudeau on USMCA
Ottawa | Reuters — Canadian dairy farmers met Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday to discuss his politically-risky move to open up the protected domestic market to U.S. industry but complained he had not given them details about compensation. As part of the talks to complete the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal, Canada […] Read more

Another blow for Canada’s dairy industry
Dairy farmers frustrated and disappointed but other farm sectors welcome the NAFTA replacement
Reading Time: 5 minutes Many Canadians breathed a collective sigh of relief when Canada, the U.S., and Mexico agreed to a new trade agreement at the end of September. But for the country’s dairy industry, this proposed deal is just another in a series of blows that is slowly but surely bleeding the industry dry. “This is definitely death […] Read more