Transport Minister promotes new NAFTA in the United States

February 26, 2019

With the new NAFTA, the Government of Canada is working hard to create new opportunities for workers and businesses on both sides of the border.

The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport and Chair of the Canada-United States Relations Cabinet Committee, today concluded a working visit to Washington, D.C., to take part in a series of events with American officials and discuss the new trade agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico and other trade matters.

On Thursday, Minister Garneau and the Ambassador of Canada to the United States, David MacNaughton, participated in a discussion about the new NAFTA hosted by the Canadian American Business Council.

Minister Garneau also engaged with U.S. governors such as Kim Reynolds (Iowa) and Mike Bevin (Kentucky) on the Canada-U.S. relationship.

He also met with Admiral Timothy Gallaudet, Acting Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to discuss important transport related files such as Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan, the protection of whales, and the marine environment.

On Sunday, Minister Garneau participated in a panel on North American trade at the National Governors Association Winter Meeting along with Dr. Jesus Seade, Mexican Under Secretary of Foreign Affairs for North America, and Larry Kudlow, Director of the U.S. National Economic Council.

Throughout his meetings, Minister Garneau pressed the U.S. to remove its illegal and unjustified steel and aluminum tariffs that harm companies and workers in both Canada and the U.S.

The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food was also in Washington, D.C. last Thursday and participated, along with Mexican Secretary of Agriculture Victor Villalobos, in a trilateral panel discussion hosted by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. They discussed the importance of the Canada, United States and Mexico trading relationship, which will be further strengthened by the new NAFTA, and highlighted how farmers and processors in all three countries rely on a predictable and stable trade environment. Minister MacAulay also hosted roundtables with key U.S. stakeholders on the agricultural trading relationship between Canada and the United States as well as the role of women in advancing opportunities in the agricultural and trade sectors.

Quote

“The new NAFTA is a very good trade deal. Once ratified, it will bring stability, predictability and growth while ensuring our relationship with the United States and Mexico continues to thrive. Canada has been clear from the outset that the 232 tariffs imposed on Canada are illegal and unjustified.‎ Now that we have concluded our NAFTA negotiations with the United States, we believe it is all the more reason for the US Administration to lift its tariffs.”
The Honourable Marc Garneau
Minister of Transport

Quick Facts

Canada and the United States share the world’s longest secure border, over which approximately 400,000 people, and goods and services worth $2.4 billion, cross daily.
Canada and the United States have one of the largest trading relationships in the world. Canada is the largest market for the United States—larger than China, Japan and the United Kingdom combined.
The globally competitive regional market created under the original NAFTA in 1994 today accounts for nearly 486 million consumers and a combined GDP of more than US$22 trillion.
In 2017, trilateral trade reached nearly US$1.1 trillion—a more than threefold increase since 1993.
The United States and Mexico are Canada’s first- and third-largest merchandise trading partners in the world, respectively.