Trump: Canada ‘will be out’ of trade deal unless it’s ‘fair’

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump warned Canada on Saturday that it “will be out” of a revised North American trade agreement unless it’s “fair” to the United States, and he threatened to scrap the current deal should Congress “interfere” with the negotiations.

“There is no political necessity to keep Canada in the new NAFTA deal,” Trump said in one of a series of tweets as he visited his Virginia golf club while three former presidents and a range of political dignitaries attended a Washington memorial for John McCain. Trump wasn’t invited.

But it’s not clear whether the Trump administration has the authority to strike a deal with just Mexico, as it announced Monday, and exclude Canada. Also, Congress must approve any rewrite of the North American Free Trade Agreement , signed under President Bill Clinton, and might refuse to endorse a deal that leaves longtime ally Canada on the sidelines.

Talks to keep Canada in the trade bloc are to resume this coming week as Washington and Ottawa try to break a deadlock over issues such as Canada’s dairy market and U.S. efforts to shield drug companies from generic competition.

“As we’ve said all week, we’re working toward a modernized NAFTA that is good for the middle class and people working hard to join it,” said Adam Austen, a spokesman for Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland. “With good will and flexibility on all sides, a win-win-win outcome is achievable. Canada, of course, will only sign a deal which is good for Canada.”