Could new NAFTA deal be signed next week? Bill Morneau says he’s hopeful

Finance Minister Bill Morneau says he’s hopeful the newly-struck NAFTA deal will be signed next week.

He also suggests Canada could sign even with stinging U.S. tariffs in place.

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Morneau was asked by reporters after a speech today if the government should still consider signing the new continental trade deal even if the United States keeps its heavy import taxes on Canadian aluminum and steel.

He says Canada is working with the U.S. to solve the tit-for-tat tariff dispute and he stresses Ottawa won’t make one set of negotiations contingent on another.

WATCH BELOW: ‘You forget all that stuff because you’ve got a really good deal,’ Morneau says on USMCA negotiations

1:29 ‘You forget all that stuff because you’ve got a really good deal:’ Morneau on USMCA negotiations

Morneau says there’s work going on behind the scenes to make sure the legal document defining what is officially known as the United-States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (or USMCA) is exactly as agreed and adds that he has every reason to believe the work is moving along at a good pace.

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1:42 USMCA offers ‘opportunity’ to fix trade imbalance with China: Harper

He was speaking to the Economic Club of Canada in Ottawa this morning, one day after he released a fall economic statement packed with billions of dollars worth of tax incentives for corporate Canada.

Ottawa’s long-awaited plan to help the country compete with the United States for investment dollars comes in response to major American tax and regulatory reforms that many in the business community warn has eliminated Canada’s edge as an investment destination.