Minister lands in divided Washington for trade talks
OTTAWA — Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland arrived Wednesday in an American capital divided by the presidential impeachment saga for a meeting aimed at finding the bipartisan agreement needed to finalize a new North American trade deal.
Officials from the continent’s three countries held talks Wednesday in Washington on the final obstacle to ratifying the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement ahead of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend — a sign of the dwindling American legislative calendar.
Freeland was to meet her American and Mexican counterparts, Robert Lighthizer, the United States Trade Representative, and Jesus Seade, Mexico’s undersecretary for North America, said the Privy Council Office.
Freeland, who is the lead minister for the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, started her day with a federal cabinet meeting in the Ottawa area.
Canadian government officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said Canada’s acting ambassador Kirsten Hillman and chief trade negotiator Steve Verheul represented Canada in talks. But Freeland had been in close contact with Lighthizer, speaking on the phone with him Tuesday and Wednesday, said officials.
Mexico is the only country to legally approve the deal, while Canada is waiting on the U.S. Congress to make its first move towards ratification. Officials say Canada’s approach remains the same — it will only move “in tandem” with the U.S.
The American Thanksgiving holiday was seen by many as one of the last reasonable opportunities for U.S. lawmakers to practically dispatch with USMCA amid the broader impeachment drama engulfing President Donald Trump, and the looming political shift ahead of the November 2020 presidential election. Trump has levelled scathing criticism on the Democrats for blocking progress on the trade deal by focusing on impeachment.
Democrats control the House of Representatives and have negotiated with Lighthizer for months to strengthen several of the deal’s provisions.