Prior to taking a three-week break to stem the spread of the coronavirus, Reuters is reporting that the Canadian Parliament ratified the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Canada was the last of the three countries to ratify the agreement. After initially signing the agreement with then Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in November of 2018, President Trump signed it into law on January 29 of this year.
According to Reuters, the only remaining step is formal approval by the governor-general – the representative of Queen Elizabeth, Canada’s head of state – which is a formality.
In a statement, United State Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, lead negotiator of the deal, said, “Now that the USMCA has been approved by all three countries, an historic new chapter for North American trade has begun. This landmark achievement would not be possible without President Trump’s leadership and determination to strengthen our economy, and the hard work of our negotiating partners in Canada and Mexico. USMCA is the gold standard by which all future trade agreements will be judged, and citizens of all three countries will benefit for years to come.”
Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue added, “USMCA is a great victory for America’s agriculture industry, and I am pleased to see Canada’s Parliament approved the deal today. USMCA locks in and expands access to our neighbors to the North and South. I thank President Trump for negotiating this deal and for always supporting America’s farmers and ranchers. We will continue to work with both Canada and Mexico in implementing this agreement.”