Trump comments ease fears over NAFTA

WASHINGTON — A string of calming comments from Donald Trump about NAFTA has trade proponents across the continent breathing some relief that the U.S. president’s trigger finger may not be about to blow up the deal after all.

Trump made about a half-dozen such remarks to The Wall Street Journal — soothing context after days of blazing speculation in Canada, fuelled by news reports that said Trump might be planning to issue a notice of withdrawal from NAFTA sometime after this month’s round of bargaining.

A transcript of the interview shows Trump saying of the negotiations: “We’re moving along nicely,” “There’s no rush,” “I’m leaving it a little flexible,” “We have a chance of making a reasonable deal,” “We’ve made a lot of headway.”

The benefits of a new NAFTA would also pay for his proposed border wall with Mexico, added Trump, who said he understands it’s tough for Mexico to negotiate during its current election.

Yes, he repeated his threat to cancel the agreement if he can’t get a better deal. Observers still view a U.S. withdrawal notice as a potential bargaining ploy at some point. But his comments were viewed as overwhelmingly pointing against an imminent pullout.

“I thought that was a sensible suggestion from the president,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, when asked about Trump’s apparent willingness to take more time to negotiate.

“That was a good, constructive proposal from the president.”

Freeland said Canada has always believed it’s unhelpful to impose artificial deadlines on the talks, which are currently set to end in March.

Canada is prepared to spend as much time as it takes to get a good deal, she added.