Canada Eyes CUSMA Talks
- Canadian officials say they are ready to begin negotiations for the CUSMA (USMCA) review with the United States and Mexico. - Canada’s ambassador publicly stated Ottawa is prepared to start discussions as the trilateral review approaches. - Officials frame this North‑American trade track as separate from U.S.–China tensions and potentially able to reshape regional rules. (ctvnews.ca)
Canada says it is ready to start the 2026 review of the North American trade pact, even though no formal negotiating round has been scheduled yet. (cbc.ca) At a House of Commons committee on April 23, Ambassador Mark Wiseman said Ottawa is “ready, willing and able” to begin talks with the United States and Mexico on the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, known in the U.S. as USMCA. He also said his meetings in Washington since taking the post in February have been “respectful, open and receptive.” (ctvnews.ca) The timetable is set by the deal itself. The three countries committed to begin the first joint review on July 1, 2026, six years after the pact took effect on July 1, 2020, replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement. (congress.gov) This review is not an automatic rewrite. The agreement runs until July 1, 2036 unless all three governments confirm they want to continue it; if they do not, the pact moves into annual reviews instead of ending immediately. (congress.gov) Canada has been preparing for months. Global Affairs Canada ran public consultations from September 20 to November 3, 2025 and said the feedback would help shape Ottawa’s position for the 2026 joint review. (international.canada.ca) Washington also opened its own process last fall. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced on September 16, 2025 that it was seeking public comments ahead of the July 1, 2026 review and scheduled a public hearing for November 17. (ustr.gov) Canadian negotiator Janice Charette said on April 21 that July 1 should be treated as a “checkpoint,” not a hard stop, and that Canada and the U.S. will not resolve every dispute by then. She said her instructions are to protect the fundamentals of the pact while also seeking relief from U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum and autos, and pressing long-running cases such as softwood lumber. (usnews.com) That distinction matters because Ottawa is trying to separate the CUSMA track from the broader tariff fight. Charette said the agreement has helped keep Canada’s effective U.S. import tariff rate among the lowest in the world even as President Donald Trump imposed wider tariffs elsewhere. (usnews.com) The pact covers more than tariffs. The Congressional Research Service says USMCA sets rules for duty-free trade across the three countries and includes labor, environment, investment, digital trade and services, which is why the 2026 review could reshape North American rules even if the agreement itself stays in place. (congress.gov) For now, Ottawa’s public line is that it wants to get started, not rush to closure. Wiseman told MPs the U.S. relationship remains too important to abandon, even as the rhetoric around tariffs and retaliation has sharpened in recent days. (cbc.ca)
