The Canadian Parliament has officially approved the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), making the announcement late last week. The USMCA ratification was made possible after the trade deal passed through the legislature before the Canadian Parliament takes a break for five weeks as a response to coronavirus concerns. With the agreement officially being ratified by all three parties, it will allow the three countries to begin working collaboratively to implement the agreed-upon standards for trade.
“Now that the USMCA has been approved by all three countries, an historic new chapter for North American trade has begun,” United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in a news release. “This landmark achievement would not be possible without President Trump’s leadership and determination to strengthen our economy, and the hard work of our negotiating partners in Canada and Mexico. USMCA is the gold standard by which all future trade agreements will be judged, and citizens of all three countries will benefit for years to come.”
Canada was the last party to adopt the trade agreement after having been ratified by Mexico in June 2019 and being signed into law by President Donald Trump back in January. The trade deal encompasses important improvements to market access for American agriculture, including provisions for dairy market access, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, biotechnology, and geographical indications. With USMCA ratification in Canada, the implementation period can begin. The Trump Administration will be working toward having the new trade agreement go into effect by late spring.
“USMCA is a great victory for America’s agriculture industry, and I am pleased to see Canada’s Parliament approved the deal today. USMCA locks in and expands access to our neighbors to the North and South,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “I thank President Trump for negotiating this deal and for always supporting America’s farmers and ranchers. We will continue to work with both Canada and Mexico in implementing this agreement.”
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