The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement took effect on Canada Day, coming at an important time for Alberta, according to one cabinet minister.

Mexico has already ratified the agreement. Canada must act next for it to fully enter into force.

The deal is intended to ease some U.S. economic sanctions on China while Beijing would step up purchases of American farm products and other goods.

Trudeau's Liberal government said from the start it wanted to work in tandem with Washington to formally approve the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which was signed last year.

Representative Steny Hoyer, the House majority leader, made the comment during a briefing for reporters on Tuesday.

The new North American Free Trade Agreement is inching closer to coming into effect.

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi does not understand the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) and had told U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer she wanted two weeks to get to know the agreement.

China accused the United States on Monday of harboring "extravagant expectations" for a trade deal, underlining the gulf between the two sides as U.S. action against China's technology giant Huawei began hitting the global tech sector.

The leaders of Mexico, the U.S. and Canada signed the new trade agreement last year after a long negotiation, but it requires ratification in each country's legislature to take effect.

Parliament will struggle to ratify the new North American trade deal if U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum exports aren't lifted soon, Canada's transport minister warned.