Freeland talks trade deal in D.C.

Back at table with U.S., Mexico over new NAFTA

OTTAWA— Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland arrived Wednesday in a U.S. 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.

Freeland was to meet her U.S. and Mexican counterparts, Robert Lighthizer, the United States Trade Representative, and Jesus Seade, Mexico’s undersecretary for North America, the Privy Council Office said.

Mexico is the only country to have legally approved the deal, while Canada is waiting on the U.S. Congress to make its first move toward ratification. Officials say Canada’s approach remains the same — it will only move “in tandem” with the U.S.

Democrats control the House of Representatives and have negotiated with Lighthizer for months to strengthen several of the deal’s provisions, including improved labour standards to ensure that Mexico’s much-promised workplace reforms can be enforced.

During the long and at times acrimonious renegotiation of NAFTA, Canadian and U.S. negotiators pushed Mexico to improve labour standards to stop companies in the manufacturing and auto sectors from relocating to where employers can pay them far less.

That could come in an addendum or side letter to the USMCA. As for the core text of the deal, Canada has maintained it considers that signed and sealed, not to be reopened for further negotiations.