Canada's deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland has said that the Canadian parliament approved the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on Friday, March 13, in advance of the Canadian parliament’s three-week break which is intended to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The trilateral agreement has now been signed by all three countries.
“USMCA is the gold standard by which all future trade agreements will be judged, and citizens of all three countries will benefit for years to come,” Robert Lighthizer, United States Trade Representative said in a statement.
The USMCA which will raise wages, bring manufacturing jobs back and help service industry workers was designed to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). US President Donald Trump had signed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and officially implemented the new legislation on January 29, 2020.