Talks to update the NAFTA trade deal enter a make-or-break week, as ministers from Canada, the United States and Mexico seek to resolve an impasse in key areas before elections in Mexico and the United States complicate the process.
Environmental law experts are concerned about the broader implications of a recent federal court dismissal of Canada’s application to overturn a NAFTA tribunal ruling.
The latest US proposal for increasing NAFTA’s regional automotive content would carry a four-year phase-in to meet a higher, 75 percent regional value threshold and new labor content rules requiring substantial work at wages of $16 an hour or higher.
Negotiators trying to hammer out a quick NAFTA deal said they will take a break until May 7, allowing time for consultations with the auto industry in Mexico.
Canadian, Mexican and U.S. ministers seeking to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) have made good progress on the key question of autos, Canadian Foreign Minister said.