OTTAWA – Conservative and New Democrat members of Parliament want a trio of federal ministers to appear before a Commons’ committee immediately to outline Canada’s priorities for upcoming NAFTA renegotiation.
The MPs from both opposition parties are jointly sending a letter to the clerk of the international trade committee today, requesting that a meeting be held.
Their request follows the release Monday of the U.S. government’s goals for the next iteration of the deal, an 18-page overview which, among other things, calls for better access for American products and services in both Canada and Mexico.
The MPs want to hear a similar statement of priorities from the Liberals, specifically from the ministers of International Trade, Foreign Affairs and Finance, as well as Canada’s chief negotiator for the North American Free Trade Agreement talks.
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But while U.S. law requires that administration to disclose negotiation objectives, the same obligation does not exist for the Canadian government.
The Liberal government is currently accepting input from the public on a renegotiated deal, asking what elements of NAFTA should be preserved, what should be improved and what new issues need to be addressed to modernize the 23-year-old agreement.