A week after Canada rejected the latest U.S. NAFTA proposal, Quebec stakeholders are holding another roundtable. The first was held at the end of June, also at the National Assembly in Quebec City.
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“What the White House has put on the table 10 days ago was clearly unacceptable and the answer is, ‘no,'” said Raymond Bachand, the chief negotiator for Quebec in the NAFTA talks.
Bachand said he’s not surprised at how aggressive the United States has been so far, but he’s confident our neighbours will soon soften their tone.
“Now that we’re not scared of saying ‘no,’ which is what they wanted to test, they have to make a decision,” he said.
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The U.S. is proposing some changes to NAFTA that would have a major impact on Quebec’s economy — for example, if the U.S. wants to get rid of the supply management system in the dairy industry (the system that controls prices and quantity). However, Canadian negotiators say they’re not budging.
Quebec’s Minister of Economy Dominique Anglade said the provinces have been working together and agree on most issues.
“I think we’re very clear around the key elements we want to keep: agriculture, culture — those elements are really fundamental,” said Anglade.
Stakeholders at Monday’s roundtable in Quebec City said they were worried about the direction the negotiations were taking.
“There’s major concerns for retailers,” said Jean-Luc Benoît, a representative of the Retail Council of Canada.
“We are concerned, but at the same time we have to continue to work with the United States. It’s our principal partner,” said Stéphane Forger, CEO of Quebec Chambers of Commerce Federation.
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During his opening speech, Premier Philippe Couillard said that one optimistic thing to keep in mind in these uncertain times “is that we have many allies in the United States.”
The premier hopes for more positive outcomes when negotiations with the U.S. reconvene at the start of 2018.