Canada

The president confirms on Twitter that he told Bloomberg, off the record, he would not compromise in NAFTA 2.0 talks with Canada.

Freeland, after a late, five-minute final session with USTR Lighthizer, said the two would reconvene on Friday -- deadline day, according to the U.S.

The leaders of Canada’s largest private-sector union and a major auto group on Wednesday largely endorsed the preliminary NAFTA agreement reached this week by the U.S. and Mexico, though they said more details were needed as the U.S. and Canada burned the midnight oil in pursuit of a trilateral deal.

“The issues are extremely familiar to us and we have been extremely involved in shaping the approaches on a lot of the issues, and we’ve been in touch with the negotiation over the summer, but it is very, very intense work.”

Philippe Couillard also said Quebec remained committed to securing a cultural exemption in NAFTA 2.0.

“It’s important for them to get this deal, and it’s important for us. I think we’ll be successful, but if we don’t, we’ll move forward with Mexico and then we’ll reach a separate agreement with Canada.”

The bilateral agreement the U.S. and Mexico announced on Monday includes a provision ensuring 10 years of data protection for biologic drugs, along with other trade provisions that go further than what Canada has agreed to in previous trade agreements.

Cornyn: “This is a positive step, and now we need to ensure the final agreement brings Canada in to the fold and has bipartisan support.”

President Trump said on Monday that he would formally terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement because the United States has reached a deal with Mexico, though Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto insisted a new agreement ultimately must include Canada.