Trump threatens to exclude Canada from new NAFTA deal

With trade talks between the US and Canada set to drag on into a new week, US President Donald Trump has tweeted that Ottawa need not be included in a new NAFTA trade deal. Lawmakers in Washington begged to differ.

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.

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.

Source: ekathimerini.com