I t may be newly elected U.S. President, Donald Trump demanding that the North American Free Trade Agree- ment must be renegotiated, but foreign ministers from Canada and Mexico presented a unified stance that any potential trade talks with Donald Trump’s administration will focus on the benefits the current trade agreement has offered all three countries and that all three countries will need to be part of any re-negotiation of the agreement. Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Luis Videgaray was very clear with his comments that should NAFTA be re- negotiated it will be with all three nations (U.S.A., Canada and Mexico) seated at the table, rather than in bilateral dis- cussions by any two countries. Mexican Economy Minister, Ildefonso Guajardo said he expected NAFTA negotiations to start in the summer and that Mexico wouldn’t initiate talk about tariffs. He then went on to say that, “Nothing in the new NAFTA should be a step backwards,” for Mexico. Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., David MacNaughton has gone on the record as saying that Canada will “cooperate on trilateral matters when it’s in our interest and we’ll be looking to do things that are in our interest bilaterally also.” When he was trying to assure Trudeau’s cabinet that Trump was targeting Mexico, not Canada, in his trade overhaul, good news for Canada, but not so good for Mexico.
However, even after MacNaughton’s comments, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chrystia Freeland sent a similar message as Videgaray saying Canada has had no specific discussions with the U.S. yet about NAFTA, but that “We very much recognize that NAFTA is a three-country agree- ment,” then she continued to say “We really value our rela- tionship with Mexico,” going on to say that while the pair were together in Toronto as part of a panel discussion. BothVidegarayandFreelandresponseswereinrelationtoU.S.Pres- ident, Donald Trump’s comments after Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau’s visit to theWhiteHouse. Trump’s comments were that tradewithCanadawouldonly need tobe “tweaked,” but that tradewithMexicowouldneedacompleteoverhaul. Brian Mulroney, who was the Canadian prime minister who inked the NAFTA agreement with the U.S. and Mexico in 1992, was asked about reports that Canada would abandon its southern partner and deal directly with the U.S. The former Prime Minister stated “You can forget this under-the- bus argument,” Mulroney went on to say, “This under-the- bus stuff is for losers, not winners, and Canada is a winner.” It will be interesting to see what happens in the Summer and if all three countries are invited to the re-negotiation table or if Trump’s administrationwill try adivideandconquer approach.
32
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • MARCH 2017
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker