The Trump administration is trying to plan a signing event in an industrial US Midwest city to celebrate the recent agreement on a NAFTA replacement, but according to news reports, Canada will not participate as long as Section 232 tariffs remain in place.
Canadian Ambassador David MacNaughton told Politico that he has heard about the potential event, but added that “there won’t be any of that as long as the tariffs are in place.”
Mexican officials told media that all options are being considered.
However, such a ceremony would be largely symbolic considering US law requires at least 60 days to pass before the deal can be formally signed. Additionally, the deal still requires Congressional approval, and the vote will not likely happen until 2019.
MacNaughton said there have not been many in-depth discussions about the tariff issue. Last week, when US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer visited the Toronto home of Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, MacNaughton said Lighthizer refrained from saying the tariffs would be lifted.
“He just said we better figure out how to deal with that and we said, ‘Yes, we are.’,” MacNaughton said.
Politico also reported that two senior US officials said there has been discussion about “generous quotas” for Canada and Mexico.