Canada tells U.S., Mexico it wants CUSMA renewed

Canada tells U.S., Mexico it wants CUSMA renewed

Formal letter comes as Canada-U.S. trade minister heads to Washington

Canada has given the U.S. and Mexico official notice that it wants the free trade deal between the three countries to be renewed.

In a letter to his American and Mexican counterparts, Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the country is seeking renewal of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) when it comes up for review on July 1.

LeBlanc is in Washington Tuesday for a meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, a member of U.S. President Donald Trump's cabinet.

All the signals from the White House over the past year and a half indicate that the Trump administration does not want a straightforward renewal of CUSMA and instead wants significant changes to its terms, including on automotive exports and access to Canada's dairy market.