THE (U.S.) EXPLICITLY WANTS AN IMBALANCED RESULT.

out some of the difficulties that have emerged, or some of the things that weren’t thought of in 1994, but also look forward 10 years.”

Flavio Volpe, president of the Automobile Parts Manufacturers Association, said everyone in government and industry is ready to spring into action the moment the U.S. tables its position but, in the meantime, they’re all “circling the airport.” He suspects they’ll have to continue circling for some weeks yet.

As far as Canadian officials are concerned, automobiles — specifically, the exodus of auto industry jobs and investment to low-wage Mexico — are at the root of President Donald Trump’s threat to rip up NAFTA. And resolving the problem will be the key to the success, or failure, of efforts to rewrite the trilateral trade pact.

“We’re waiting with bated breath, I guess, like our Canadian negotiating team and probably the Mexican negotiating team, as to what the U.S. is actually going to propose,” says Mark Nantais of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer opened the negotiations in Washington last month with the aggressive pronouncement that “rules of origin, particularly on autos and auto parts, must require higher NAFTA content and substantial U.S. content.” Moreover, he said there must be a way to verify that content.

The U.S. has not gone into any further detail since then.