A chronology of events in North American free trade talks
OTTAWA — Here is a timeline of key events that sparked the 14-month renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, leading to Sunday’s historic breakthrough with the creation of the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA:
June 28, 2016 — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump declares his antipathy for the North American Free Trade Agreement in a campaign speech in Pittsburgh, in the heart of a Rust Belt state that he would eventually win to secure the presidency. “NAFTA was the worst trade deal in history,” says Trump, pledging to renegotiate the pact “to get a better deal for our workers.” He promises to leave the agreement if Canada and Mexico refuse to bargain with him.
Aug. 16, 2017 — Canada, Mexico and the United States commence the renegotiation of the NAFTA in earnest. The Trump administration opens with a lecture, upping the ante from earlier remarks that it simply wants to “tweak” the deal. Trump’s trade czar Robert Lighthizer declares: “We feel that NAFTA has fundamentally failed many, many Americans and needs major improvement.”
October 2017 — The U.S. introduces so-called “poison pills” that Canada says it simply can’t accept. The U.S. wanted to increase American content in automobiles, get rid of Canada’s supply management system for agriculture, establish a five-year sunset clause, do away with a dispute settlement mechanism and reduce Mexican and Canadian access to bidding on U.S. procurement projects. The three countries would eventually reach a new deal on autos, while the U.S. backed away from the other demands.