Vancouver, British Columbia — Vancouver, British Columbia (AFP) – Canada British Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Wednesday that Washington cannot dictate the terms of the continental trade agreement known as the Continental Free Trade Agreement. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCAHe spoke about the obstacles ahead of reviewing the agreement in July.
This deal, dating back to the early 1990s, contributed to intertwining the economies of the three North American countries, but it faced obstacles amid the constantly changing tariff policy of US President Donald Trump.
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, Carney said amending the latest version of the agreement “will take some time.”
“We understand what some Americans might call trade irritants or trade issues,” Carney said. Trade irritants are policies that create friction and disputes in international trade.
“We have some on our side too,” he added. “We will sit down and work to resolve those issues through the broader approach to negotiations.”
Carney also said, “It is not about the United States dictating the terms. We have the negotiations. We can reach a successful outcome for both parties.” “It will take some time.”
Carney’s comments came after Radio-Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s French-language service, reported that US officials were imposing a “free pass” on trade talks with Canada and demanding concessions before negotiations could begin.
In any negotiations, “people ask for concessions,” Carney said when asked about the radio report. “We have strengths, and we have options. We are working to diversify our options.”
Last week, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick attacked Canada’s approach to trade talks, claiming Canada is dependent on the US economy and that it is “outrageous” for Canadian provinces to keep US alcoholic beverages off their shelves.
He also criticized Carney for striking a deal with China to reduce 100% tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles to 6.1%, with an annual cap of 49,000 vehicles. In return, China is expected to reduce retaliatory tariffs on Canadian agricultural products.
A recent report from the Office of the United States Trade Representative cited the refusal of some Canadian provinces to stock US alcoholic beverages and high tariffs on some US dairy products as raising trade tensions.
Carney promised to protect Canada’s dairy, poultry and egg production during free trade talks with the United States
The United States also opposes the “Buy Canadian” policy, which gives priority to Canadian products and Canadian workers on projects worth more than C$25 million, or about $18 million.
Carney was asked whether it was unacceptable that the United States had not yet put anything on the negotiating table.
In a 10-minute video he posted Sunday, Carney said the strong economic ties between Canada and the United States were once a strength but are now a weakness that must be corrected. He said Trump’s tariffs affected workers in the auto and steel industries.
He also spoke about his government’s efforts to strengthen the Canadian economy by attracting new investments and signing trade agreements with other countries.