Trump vows to renegotiate USMCA free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico
Donald Trump has vowed to renegotiate the USMCA free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico if he wins the November presidential election.
"I am announcing today that upon taking office, I will formally notify Mexico and Canada of my intention to invoke the six-year renegotiation provisions of the USMCA that I put in," Trump told the Detroit Economic Club on Thursday.
Following tense negotiations, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement went into effect in 2020 to replace the earlier North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which Trump targeted soon into his first presidency. The new USMCA agreement is up for review on its sixth anniversary in 2026, when the three countries will have to confirm in writing if they wish to extend the pact or re-evaluate it.
"That was the hardest thing I had to get, they didn't want that," Trump claimed of the unique review clause. "I said, 'Nope, I want to be able to renegotiate in six years, otherwise we're not making the deal.' And I got it, and it's coming due very soon. Oh, I'm going to have a lot of fun."
Speaking on Thursday in Motor City, Trump said he wanted to better protect and promote the U.S. auto industry, which has long been centred in Detroit.
"I'll also seek strong new protections against transshipment, so that China and other countries cannot smuggle their products and auto parts into the United States tax free through Mexico to the detriment of our workers and our supply chains," the Republican presidential candidate said in a wide-ranging speech. "They smuggle this stuff in. They don't pay anything. We're going to have very strong language on that."
The negotiations that began in 2017 to replace NAFTA brought Canada-U.S. relations to a low-point, as Trump hurled insults at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and slapped hefty tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel.
"I terminated NAFTA. That's a pretty big thing," Trump said on Thursday. "A lot of people said it would be impossible to do. I got it done, and we have a great deal now. What we have to do is make it much better even, and we'll be able to do that very shortly."
The new agreement included more U.S. access to Canadian supply managed sectors like dairy, allowed for cheaper online cross-border shipping and required higher levels of North American content in vehicles.
"Every time he talks about ripping up a free trade deal, it has a bigger impact in Canada for sure than it does in the United States," former B.C. premier Christy Clark told CTV News Power Play on Thursday. "We are more dependent on them than they are on us. But having said that, they are more dependent on us than they are on anybody else for their trade."
Harris would also reopen USMCA
During her time in the U.S. Senate, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris was one of only 10 U.S. senators to vote against the new USMCA agreement, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in January 2020. Joining the likes of Senators Bernie Sanders and Chuck Schumer, Harris argued the agreement didn't do enough to tackle environmental issues.
"I have concluded that the USMCA's environmental provisions are insufficient – and by not addressing climate change, the USMCA fails to meet the crises of this moment," Harris said at the time.
In a recent series of posts on X, Harris confirmed that she would reopen the USMCA agreement as president.
"As one of only 10 senators to vote against USMCA, I knew it was not sufficient to protect our country and its workers," Harris wrote in September. "Many who voted for this deal conditioned their support on a review process, which, as president, I will use."
Harris had also previously expressed her opposition to the original NAFTA agreement, which U.S. President Joe Biden voted for as a senator in 1993.
"I would not have voted for NAFTA, and because I believe that we can do a better job to protect American workers," Harris said in a May 2019 interview with CNN. "I also believe that we need to do a better job in terms of thinking about … issues like the climate crisis and what we need to do to build [them] into these trade agreements."
In the lead-up to the November U.S. election, Trudeau's government has been actively courting American politicians and business leaders to tout the mutual benefits of free trade.
"No matter who is the U.S. president in 2025, Canada's economy would be affected by a trade protectionism, just to different degrees," Carleton University political scientist Aaron Ettinger previously told CTVNews.ca. "Either way, Canadians will need to be alert."
With files from CTV News National Correspondent Rachel Aiello
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump says he 'shouldn't have left' the White House as he closes campaign with increasingly dark message
Donald Trump, who said in Pennsylvania on Sunday that he regrets leaving the White House in 2021, is ending the 2024 campaign the way he began it – dishing out a stew of violent, disparaging rhetoric and repeated warnings that he will not accept defeat if it comes.
Guelph, Ont. woman says she was pushed to homelessness and 'thrown on the street'
For people living on the fringe of society, the line between the safety and security of a home and homelessness is very thin.
James Van Der Beek says he has colorectal cancer
The 'Dawson’s Creek' alum told People magazine in a statement published Sunday that he has colorectal cancer.
Where should Canada look to improve its housing situation? The answer may shock you
Housing experts argue widespread adoption of government-supported affordable housing, the growth of alternative models like co-operatives and co-housing, and the increased use of advanced building techniques could all play a role in improving Canada's housing system.
No strike notice so far as talks continue between Canada Post and workers' union
Canada Post says talks are continuing with the union that represents postal workers and neither side has given notice of a work stoppage.
U.K. prosecutors are mulling whether to charge Russell Brand over sex assault allegations
British prosecutors say they have been given a file of evidence from police about alleged sexual offenses by comedian Russell Brand and are considering whether to charge him.
Federal mediators on site for negotiations between B.C. port employer and union
Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon says federal mediators are standing by and ready to help hammer out a deal in order to avoid a labour disruption at ports across British Columbia.
Winnipeg transit union raises concerns over violence after bus driver has gun pointed at him
The executive vice-president of Winnipeg’s transit union is raising concerns over an increase in violent incidents on buses after an operator allegedly had a gun pointed at him early Friday morning in front of police headquarters.
Trump wants to narrow his deficit with women but he's not changing how he talks about them
Donald Trump's campaign has used sexist and crude language, expressing alarm at the idea of women voting differently than their partners.
Local Spotlight
'I put my whole life on hold': B.C. man embarks on Arctic to Antarctica trek
A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.
Windsor teen's shredded pepperoni pizza post goes viral
A Windsor teen’s social media post showing off a distinctive Windsor pizza topping has gone viral, drawing millions of views worldwide and sparking new curiosity about Windsor-style pizza.
'You look like me': 7-year-old who went viral for his Auston Matthews Halloween costume meets Leafs star
Auston Matthews has come face to face with his look-alike. On Thursday, the Maple Leafs star met seven-year-old Grayson Joseph, who went viral for dressing up as an Auston Matthews hockey card.
'You never know what you're going to find': Halifax junk remover shares some of his company's strangest discoveries
A Halifax junk remover shares some of his company’s strangest discoveries.
'Smiles per gallon': B.C. man creates Canadian-themed art car with stuffed moose on roof
When Leah arrived at work directing traffic around a construction site, she never expected to see a van painted in all sorts of bright colours, and covered in eclectic decorations, including a stuffed moose attached to its roof.
Guelph, Ont. charitable bike repairs halted due to bylaw complaint
After 14 years of repairing and selling bicycles out of the garage of her home, a Guelph, Ont. woman’s efforts have ended – for now, at least.
More than 20,000 goldfish removed from Edmonton stormwater pond
Epcor says it has removed more than 20,000 goldfish from an Edmonton stormwater pond.
Witches and warlocks take to the water across New Brunswick
Witches and warlocks have been flocking to New Brunswick waterways this month, as a new Halloween tradition ripples across the province.
Cosplay Queen: New Brunswick artist's handmade costumes attract thousands of followers online, celebrity commissions
New Brunswicker Jillea Godin’s elaborate cosplay pieces attract thousands to her online accounts, as well as requests from celebrities for their own pieces.