Trump threatens no new NAFTA deal with Canada
September 1, 2018
US President Donald Trump tweeted on Saturday there was no need to include Ottawa in any new NAFTA trade deal. He also warned Congress not to interfere in the talks, which are set to continue on Monday.
"There is no political necessity to keep Canada in the new NAFTA deal. If we don't make a fair deal for the US after decades of abuse, Canada will be out," Trump said on Twitter.
Read more: Canada mulls NAFTA rejig as Trump unveils new Mexico trade deal
He added: "Congress should not interfere with these negotiations or I will simply terminate NAFTA entirely & we will be far better off."
He added that NAFTA was one of the worst trade deals ever made and should never have been signed.
Ottawa warned
The US and Mexico reached a deal earlier in the week, putting pressure on Ottawa to follow suit, but talks over dairy quotas were one of the key issues holding up a deal. Trump has threatened to stick tariffs on Canadian-made cars if Canada does not agree to a revamped NAFTA.
On Friday, Trump informed Congress of his intention to sign a bilateral trade deal with Mexico, but it could be difficult to win approval from Congress unless Canada is also included, with support from Democrats needed to pass a purely bilateral deal.
jbh/rc (Reuters, dpa, AFP)