Canadaus NAFTA talks end without breakthrough
Trump’s comments on stance on trade pact leaked
WASHINGTON: Talks to keep Canada in a North American trade bloc have broken up and will resume next week with the two longtime allies divided over such issues as Canada’s dairy market and US efforts to shield drug companies from generic competition.
President Donald Trump notified Congress on Friday that he plans to sign an agreement in 90 days with Mexico to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement — and hopes Canada can brought on board, too. The US and Mexico reached a deal on Monday that excluded Canada.
The top Canadian trade envoy, foreign minister Chrystia Freeland, then hurried to Washington for talks aimed at preserving Canada’s membership in the regional trade agreement. But Freeland couldn’t break an impasse. The talks will resume on Wednesday.
The negotiations had taken a turn for the worse on Friday over news that Trump had told Bloomberg News he wasn’t willing to make any concessions to Canada. Trump said he wanted the remarks to remain off-therecord; otherwise, he said, “it’s going to be so insulting they’re not going to be able to make a deal.”
The comments were leaked to the Toronto Star, and Trump took to Twitter to angrily confirm it:
“Wow, I made OFF THE RECORD COMMENTS to Bloomberg concerning Canada, and this powerful understanding was BLATANTLY VIOLATED.”