With little time left ahead of a deadline to agree to a renewed NAFTA, Canadian and U.S. trade officials on Sunday tried to settle differences on tough issues such as protection against American tariffs.

Freeland told reporters after the meeting she and her team plan to work this week in “a full-steam effort” and said both parties will start diving into specific issues Wednesday morning.

The number of U.S. housing starts beat expectations by surpassing 1.33 million in January on a seasonally adjusted basis, with single family starts increasing 7.6 per cent.

Members of the Trump administration keep dropping hints that withdrawing from NAFTA is not in their current plans.

The NAFTA negotiations have made some "real headway," but Canada, the U.S. and Mexico owe it to their citizens to pick up the pace of the talks.

Important decisions about NAFTA's future are now in the hands of Trump's administration, as American negotiators turn to their political masters for guidance.

A glimmer of optimism is emerging at NAFTA talks, with the countries starting to engage on difficult topics after months marked by finger-pointing, recriminations and threats of a U.S. withdrawal.

The sources say while Canada and Mexico have been flexible during the NAFTA negotiations, the United States has not moved an inch.