US foresees separate protocols with Canada, Mexico under trade deal review

The United States is considering separate protocols for Canada and Mexico as part of a review of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the US trade representative said Tuesday, citing different trade disputes and economic dynamics with each country.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Hudson Institute, Jamieson Greer said Washington believes some elements of the agreement need to be changed and noted that US President Donald Trump has been dissatisfied with certain outcomes of the deal.

He said Trump’s objective is to build a more balanced trade framework with both its northern and southern neighbors.

Greer said the agreement still contains valuable elements, but argued that additional country-specific mechanisms may be needed on top of its core structure.

“We do have to have some kind of a protocol with Mexico and one with Canada separately,” he said. “Our import export profile is different with each country, and the labor situation in each country is different. The reasons why we have deficits with these countries are different. So it necessitates two separate protocols that we I think layer over those loadbearing pillars of USMCA."

Greer also said negotiations will continue ahead of a USMCA Joint Review Meeting scheduled for July 1.

He said Washington wants to resolve as many issues as possible before then.

"We've worked really closely with the Mexicans over the past year. They resolved a lot of issues. With the Canadians, we still have some unresolved issues,” Greer said.

Since Trump started his second term, trade has been among his top issues, with repeated and shifting threats of tariffs often putting worlds markets on edge.