CHC was on the ground in Mexico City for the agricultural portion of Round 7, from February 24-27.
NAFTA Highlights
- Negotiators closed the sanitary and phytosanitary chapter, good regulatory practices chapter, and publication and administration chapter, as well as the chemicals annex, and the proprietary food formulas annex. These are in addition to three others that negotiators closed at previous rounds: small and medium enterprises, competition, and anti-corruption measures. This leaves up to twenty-four additional chapters to close.
- At the joint press conference, all three ministers stressed that time is running out, and significant progress will need to be made. The closer we get to elections the more political the renegotiations will become.
- Minister Freeland says the NAFTA negotiations and the threat of U.S. steel tariffs are separate issues and Canada will continue to negotiate without letting the looming threat pressure negotiations. However, as of today (March 8), it appears the U.S. will not immediately include Canada or Mexico in their steel tariffs.
CHC activities:
- Attended daily briefings by Canada’s agricultural negotiator
- Met with Canada’s trade remedy negotiators to discuss the U.S.’s seasonal text proposal
- Took part in Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture’s roundtable discussion
- Met with agricultural stakeholders from Canada, U.S., and Mexico to discuss our key trade priorities
Next steps: At this point, there are discussions for a Round 8, to take place beginning to mid-April, in Washington, DC, which should be confirmed in a few weeks.
If you have any questions regarding NAFTA or other trade agreements, please contact Jennifer Babcock: .