Canada waits for U.S., Mexico to resolve their NAFTA issues

OTTAWA — The federal government finds itself in a holding pattern on NAFTA negotiations with one-on-one talks between the United States and Mexico set to spill into next week.

A source familiar with the effort said Friday that Canadian negotiators won’t be returning to the NAFTA bargaining table in Washington until its two partners find common ground on their outstanding issues, especially the complex sticking points around the auto sector.

However, if the U.S. and Mexico can resolve their bilateral differences in the coming days, the source said it’s “very possible” Canada’s team — potentially including Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland — could rejoin negotiations later in the week.

Media reports said Friday’s NAFTA discussions between U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo ended with bilateral work still to be done. On his way out of the meeting, reports said Guajardo indicated the two sides have made progress and will meet again next week to continue their talks for a fourth straight week.

“We continue to be in the same position where Mexico and the U.S. need to continue to work out their issues,” said the Canadian source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the matter.