Trump to Sign North American Trade Deal
Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2020 4:15 am
FILE - President Donald Trump, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, and Mexico's then-President Enrique Pena Nieto, left, participate in the USMCA signing ceremony, Nov. 30, 2018, in Buenos Aires. Trump will sign U.S. legislation Wednesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to sign a new trade agreement with Mexico and Canada on Wednesday, addressing a topic he made a major campaign issue in the election that brought him to power three years ago.
The White House ceremony will not include key Democrats from the House of Representatives who helped get bipartisan approval of the measure in Congress.
The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement replaces the 26-year-old North American Free Trade agreement, known as NAFTA. Trump repeatedly criticized NAFTA, including at a rally Tuesday where he called it “one of the worst trade deals ever in history.”
The legislation includes more stringent rules on auto manufacturing, e-commerce and labor provisions, but leaves largely unchanged the trade flows between the North American countries valued at $1.2 trillion.
The deal will not be fully implemented until it is ratified by Canada. A ratification bill was introduced in the House of Commons on Monday with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other officials urging swift approval.
Mexico completed its ratification last year.