Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned the United States on Friday that Canada “will not be pushed around” on trade negotiations as the two countries, along with Mexico, seek to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Reuters reports that Trudeau again warned U.S. negotiators that Canada could walk away from the agreement if its terms are not met.
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“We will not be pushed around. At the same time we can remain confident about NAFTA,” Trudeau said Friday, according to Reuters.
“The negotiations are complex and challenging … I’ve said many times, we are not going to take any old deal,” he added. “Canada is willing to walk away from NAFTA if the United States proposes a bad deal.”
Trudeau’s threats mirror similar remarks from President Trump, who during his campaign frequently threatened to rip up the free trade agreement if Canada and Mexico did not negotiate better deals for the United States.
Trump in January promised a “better deal” for U.S. farmers during a speech to the American Farm Bureau’s annual convention in Nashville, Tenn.
“I am working very hard to get a better deal for our country, for our farmers and our manufacturers,” Trump said last month.
“It’s not the easiest negotiation,” the president added, before pledging he will “make it fair to you people again.”
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month, Trump told reporters that he remains open to ending the trade agreement if Canada and Mexico do not acquiesce to U.S. demands.
“I may terminate NAFTA, I may not. We’ll see what happens,” he told CNBC. “I think we have a good chance, but we’ll see what happens.”