Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will travel to Mexico and the United States next month, as NAFTA talks continue amid fears a new deal won’t be reached by the end of the year.
Trudeau is expected to meet with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and U.S. officials during his visits.
Canada is currently pushing Mexico for higher labour standards, which would push up Mexican wages, thereby making it less attractive for U.S. and Canadian companies to move jobs there.
Canada's proposed chapter on labour standards also calls for an end to right-to-work laws in the United States, where 28 states have given workers the right to refuse to join unions in unionized workplaces.
On Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland was lauded by labour for what she called “the strongest, most progressive labour provisions ever put forward by Canadian trade negotiators.”
Canada’s Ambassador to the United States David MacNaughton told the Canadian Club in Toronto on Tuesday that negotiations have been, at times, “more than a little heated,” but overall the “tone remains constructive.”
“I remain optimistic that the ultimate result will be good for Canadians, and indeed Mexicans and Americans,” he said.
With files from The Canadian Press
