Two Down, One To Go In USMCA Ratification Process

With President Trump expected to sign the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement today (Wednesday), it leaves just Canada needing to ratify the NAFTA replacement. Canada’s minority Liberal government has begun the process this week, their first back since the Christmas break. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland introduced the motion in the nation’s House of Commons on Monday to consider the agreement. During a news conference, she asked fellow lawmakers to “work together to put Canada and Canadians first, and get this important work done without undue delay.” Freeland noted that the trade agreement received bipartisan support in the U.S. in a “highly polarized” political climate. Canada’s Liberals will need at least 13 votes from another party in order to pass the measure. USMCA, welcomed by U.S. agriculture, protects critical markets for U.S. farmers, and provides an additional $2 billion in agricultural exports to Canada and Mexico, the top trading partners of the United States.