The three things that could be on the table at Mexico-Canada trade meetings this week

International trade lawyer John Boscariol on what key issues are likely to dominate the upcoming Canada-Mexico trade conversations.

Three key issues will likely dominate trade talks between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in Mexico next Thursday, according to one expert.

International trade lawyer John Boscar told CTV News in an interview Saturday that the two leaders will likely compare notes on what each country is going through with the Trump administration.

“Both Mexico and Canada have taken different approaches to dealing with the U.S. tariffs,” he said. “Canada is the only country to have retaliated against the U.S., other than China. Mexico chose not to retaliate against the U.S.”

Canada recently repealed many of those retaliatory duties, though some are still in place, including those regarding aluminum, steel and automotive products, amongst other products.

Mexico has indicated that it’s going to be increasing duties on automotive products from other countries in the coming weeks, particularly China and other Asian countries.

Meanwhile, Canada is considering removing its 100 per cent duties on electric vehicles from China.

Boscar said the second thing to expect from the trade talks are ways of taking a united front on certain issues around the renegotiation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) in 2026.

CUSMA is intended to reinforce Canada’s economic ties with the United States and Mexico. The U.S. will start its review of the agreement and will report to Congress in January.

Boscar said he expects there will be some issues that Canada and the U.S. can align on, including Trump’s attempt to strengthen the rules of origin, particularly on automotive goods.

The last item he says will likely dominate talks between Carney and Sheinbaum is improving trade investments between their two countries.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), CUSMA’s predecessor, was signed in 1994, and established a structure to allow free trade between Canada and Mexico, improving investments. However, Boscar thinks there’s still a lot of room for more improvement in that area and that both Canada and Mexico are focused on the issues now because they’re obligated to.

Before this year, it was very easy for Canadian exporters and investors to deal with the U.S., due to its proximity, shared language and the high percentage of goods being traded across the border.

“I do think Canadian companies have not really been forced to look at other markets until the Trump tariff threat of this year,” he said. “And now, they’re really being forced to look at that.”

Boscar added that if the Canadian and Mexican governments recognize that, they can think of ways to facilitate trade investments in both directions.

You can watch the full interview with international trade lawyer John Boscar in the video player at the top of this article.