The United States wants to maintain and even expand the Buy America provisions that restrict government procurement to companies using materials from within its borders, while making it easier for U.S. firms to get those contracts in Canada and Mexico.

The contradictory goal was among the objectives for the revamped North American Trade Agreement that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer released earlier this month, suggesting the Americans want to have their cake and eat it too.

“I think it’s rather outrageous,” said Lawrence Herman, an international trade lawyer who has represented Canada at the World Trade Organization.

Step aside, dairy cows. Government procurement—meaning the process of who gets to bid to build bridges, highways and all sorts of public infrastructure projects—is likely to become one of the toughest issues the Liberal government will have to deal with during the NAFTA talks that start next month...

This is excerpted from the 31 July 2017 edition of The Canadian Press.