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Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said she shares concerns voiced by counterparts in the United States about Mexico’s trade practices when it comes to Chinese imports.
“I think those are legitimate concerns for our American partners and neighbours to have,” she said at a press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday. “Those are concerns that I share.”
Mexico has been criticized for being a backdoor for cheap Chinese imports to the U.S. market, allowing China to effectively avoid tariffs imposed by the U.S.
Freeland was asked by reporters about comments made by Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Tuesday, when he said Canada should take Mexico out of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) and focus instead on a bilateral agreement with the U.S.
“We must prioritize the closest economic partnership on Earth by directly negotiating a bilateral U.S.-Canada free trade agreement that puts U.S. and Canadian workers first,” Ford said, in a post on X.
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Freeland would not comment on whether Mexico should be removed from CUSMA if it doesn’t get stronger on China.
A tough trade stance on China is being touted as one policy area in which the federal government is strongly aligned with the incoming Trump administration. Freeland noted it’s “one of the things that the president and the prime minister spoke about the day after his election.”
The finance minister’s remarks followed the second meeting of the cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations, a committee that was renewed in preparation for a second Trump presidency.
Freeland has spent the last week meeting with members of the steel, energy, automotive and artificial intelligence sectors. She remains optimistic that Canada can find “win-win” outcomes with the incoming U.S. administration.
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“To start by looking for practical, effective ways to collaborate,” she said. “To start by looking for areas where there is a shared interest and a shared approach. I think the position on China is one area of clearly shared views and a shared approach between Canada and the United States. So that’s always going to be our focus.”
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