North American Free Trade Agreement

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced implementing legislation for the U.S.-Canada-Mexico Agreement to the House of Commons on Wednesday, sparking reactions from Conservative and New Democratic party leaders who questioned whether the deal was adequate as written, with some lawmakers pushing to slow the deal's ratification.

The Trudeau government has been cleared to introduce a USMCA implementing bill in Parliament.

Members of the House Ways & Means trade subcommittee this week used a hearing on U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement enforcement to address issues with the scope of the new pact’s investor-state dispute settlement mechanism, asking whether the tool should apply more broadly.

After linking USMCA to infrastructure, then cutting a meeting with Democratic leaders short, Trump said “You can’t investigate and legislate simultaneously – it just doesn’t work that way. You can’t go down two tracks at the same time.”

As U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer continues to meet with Democrats to push for the ratification of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, many maintain that the removal of the Section 232 tariffs on Canada and Mexico was merely a step in a larger process toward moving the deal to a vote -- a process that could involve small groups of lawmakers to deal with the most pressing issues.

No government officials are slated to testify.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative could announce a final resolution to the national security-based steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada and Mexico as soon as Friday, sources tell Inside U.S. Trade.