Canadians under pressure to sign new free trade pact

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday that while a new trade agreement with the U.S. and Mexico could be reached by Friday, Canada will not sign it if it is not in the country’s best interests.

The Friday deadline for a new North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump after the U.S. reached an agreement with Mexico on Monday.

That put pressure on Canada, the third party to the original NAFTA, to get in or be left out. But Trudeau did not give any indication of feeling the heat.

“We recognize that there is a possibility of getting there by Friday, but it is only a possibility, because it will hinge on whether there is ultimately a good deal for Canada,” he said, speaking to reporters in Ontario.

“No NAFTA deal is better than a bad NAFTA deal.”

One of the key issues involves the dairy industry. Trump wants Canada to drop its supply management system that uses tariffs to control the price and supply of dairy products, protecting Canadian farmers from low-priced imports.

That would pave the way for tariff-free access to the Canadian market by the much larger American dairy and poultry market.

Trudeau has repeated on several occasions that he will defend the Canadian supply management system.

Not long after Trudeau’s remarks Wednesday, Trump addressed the negotiations.

Canada “wants to be part of the deal, and we gave until Friday, and I think we’re probably on track,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.”