Premiers call for urgent meeting with Trudeau to discuss Canada-U.S. relations
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has been pushing for a new trade deal with the U.S. that would exclude Mexico
Canada's premiers say they want to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "as soon as possible" to discuss the Canada-U.S. relationship.
In a letter to Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he and his fellow premiers want to meet to discuss how Ottawa plans to approach its relationship with Washington now that Donald Trump is returning to the White House.
"As we look to welcome the incoming U.S. administration, it is important that we act now to work together and seize this opportunity to grow and strengthen our historic partnership with the U.S.," the letter reads.
The premiers also say they want to know Ottawa's plan for the upcoming review of the trilateral continental trade pact known as Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
"We require clarity from you about how you propose to include and engage with premiers as we enter the review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, including who among your cabinet ministers will serve as lead for your government," the letter reads.
Ford has been particularly outspoken about trade with the U.S. and Mexico in recent weeks.
The Ontario premier has accused Mexico of serving as "a back door for Chinese cars, auto parts and other products" entering the North American market.
Ford has said he would like Canada to move forward on bilateral trade deals with the U.S. and Mexico before the CUSMA review in 2026.
"They've had an opportunity to fix these concerns for years and they just don't want to," Ford said of Mexico during a press conference on Thursday.
"So they've shown their cards and we'll do a bilateral trade deal with them, and a separate one with the U.S."
Following a meeting of the provincial and territorial premiers last week, Ford said that all premiers are aligned on his push for the federal government to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the United States.
But Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey told reporters in Ottawa that what was agreed upon was a contingency plan.
"The concept was that should the old agreement fail, we would be interested in supporting two separate bilateral agreements," he said.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office confirmed in an email on Monday that it had received Ford's letter and that the federal government is "committed to working collaboratively with provinces and territories to promote shared priorities between Canada and the United States on trade, investment, and continental peace and security."
During a press conference on Thursday, Trudeau said the current trilateral pact "has been incredibly successful" for all three countries.
While Trudeau said his "first choice" is to continue the trilateral pact, he added that "there have been real and genuine concerns raised about Chinese investment into Mexico that I brought up directly with the Mexican president."
Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum acknowledged Thursday that Canada is concerned about reports that a Chinese company is planning to build an auto plant in Mexico. She said that plant does not currently exist.
Sheinbaum said Trudeau assured her he did not support excluding Mexico from the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement.
"The prime minister does not agree with taking Mexico out of the treaty. He told me so clearly," she said after meeting with Trudeau during last week's G20 summit in Brazil.
Sheinbaum attributed Ford's call with the other premiers to domestic political jockeying in Canada. "They use these issues as part of an electoral campaign," she said.
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With files from The Canadian Press