Trade negotiators are in
Montreal for the next round of talks regarding the North American Free Trade
Agreement. The session could be the last round of significant talks before the
Mexican presidential campaigns which lead up to a July first election, making
negotiations too difficult, according to the Hagstrom Report. The talks will
last until January 29th, when the top U.S., Mexican and Canadian trade
officials are scheduled to meet. The Canadian Press reports the nation will be
hosting an “angry” U.S. trade delegation, and many expect contentious issues to
be addressed, including agriculture. The talks come as Bloomberg claims the
U.S. and Canada agree on 40 percent of the topics being negotiated, and that
Mexico may be able to accept terms for vehicles. Mexico claims that trade
negotiators are close to completing work on ten of the 30 NAFTA chapters.
Still, the fate of the agreement remains unclear, as the Trump administration
has routinely threatened to end the trade pact. President Trump has also said
that a new NAFTA will greatly benefit U.S. farmers and ranchers.
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