Mexican envoy casts doubt over when Canada will join NAFTA talks

A top Mexican negotiator put a new question mark Wednesday over Canada’s participation in NAFTA talks, suggesting this country will not necessarily join in next week if the U.S. and its southern neighbour finish their own, two-way deal.

And Jesus Seade seemed to indicate that any bilateral agreement with the U.S. could cover major trilateral issues — issues of pressing importance to Canadian officials.

Seade, who represents incoming Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, said the U.S.-Mexico agreement could be struck as soon as this week, but possibly next week.

Asked by reporters outside the offices of the U.S. Trade Representative in Washington if Canada would then join the talks, he said: “I don’t see any reason why they have to come after we finish. It’s up to (U.S. Trade Representative Robert) Lighthizer to organize his time.”

The Mexican delegation — and sources familiar with the closeddoor negotiations — have said previously Canada would return to the table as soon as the other two resolved their bilateral issues — maybe even this week.

Seade’s comments seemed to indicate otherwise.

To complicate matters further, however, he said in Spanish during the same news scrum that “Canada has to come aboard” to complete a revised NAFTA agreement.

Two American sources briefed on the talks said this week that Canada is likely to come under intense pressure to compromise when it does finally rejoin the negotiations — and is presented with a finished accord between the other two.

But Canadian officials said Wednesday they are not worried about the recent developments.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said she was “very encouraged” by the progress made by the other two countries on bilateral issues, stressing that she has remained in close contact with both their trade teams.

“Canada is looking forward to join the negotiations and a swift conclusion to negotiations,” she told reporters in Nanaimo, B.C.