The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, met in Ottawa today, with a bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation led by Richard E. Neal, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means, that included representatives Brendan Boyle, Suzan DelBene and Drew Ferguson. Minister Freeland was joined by the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour and by the Honourable Wayne Easter, Chair of the Canada-United-States Inter-Parliamentary Group, for a portion of the meeting.
The meeting was an occasion to discuss the ratification process for the new NAFTA and the shared commitment between Canada and the United States to support the implementation of important labour reforms in Mexico. Minister Freeland and members of the congressional delegation also discussed issues of importance to both Canada and the United States and committed to continue to work together to further strengthen the long-standing bilateral relationship between our countries.
Trade between Canada and the United States is balanced and mutually beneficial. Canada and the United States are each other's biggest customers, and Canada buys more goods from the United States than from China, Japan and the United Kingdom combined.
The new NAFTA was signed on November 30, 2018, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Efforts are now focused on domestic ratification in Canada, the United States and Mexico. Canada's goal remains to move forward with ratification in tandem with the United States, to the extent possible. Minister Freeland has been in frequent and close touch, including this week, with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to discuss this process.
Contacts
Adam Austen
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
