Trudeau Digs In on Core Issues as Nafta Talks Poised to Restart

September 5, 2018

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government will hold steadfast on two key issues that have become sticking points in Nafta talks, saying he’d prefer to see the current pact killed than be forced to accept a bad deal.

Trudeau, speaking a day before U.S.-Canada talks were due to resume in Washington, repeated that he would only sign a deal that he thinks is good for his country -- in effect, pushing back against Donald Trump’s threats to freeze Canada out if an agreement can’t be reached...

The Chapter 19 panels were nearly a deal-breaker in original Canada-U.S. free trade talks a generation ago, and are a late sticking point again. The panels have worked “reasonably well” and are essential to ensuring fairness, Trudeau said...

The Canadian prime minister also said Nafta needs to maintain an exemption for cultural sectors, saying he doesn’t want to see Canadian TV networks swallowed up by American giants...

This was excerpted from 4 September 2018 edition of Bloomberg.


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