The Canadian government is actively preparing for the possibility U.S. President Donald Trump could soon signal his intent to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement, Liberal government sources told CBC News.
Despite those preparations for a possible pullout, Canada will stay at the negotiation table even if Trump makes that call, those sources said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Canada is still optimistic there could still be some sort of positive resolution to these fractious trade talks, the sources said, and will continue to pursue its aggressive outreach plans in the U.S., which include meetings with U.S. state governors and lawmakers in Washington.
The next round of NAFTA talks — the sixth so far — will be held in Montreal from Jan. 23 to 28.
This was excerpted from the 10 January 2018 edition of CBC News.