Prime ministers demand two separate agreements with the United States and Mexico

Photo: Darren Calabrese The Canadian Press From left, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, and Quebec Premier François Legault at a Council of the Federation meeting this summer

Allison Jones – The Canadian Press in Toronto

Published November 20

• Canada

The 13 provincial and territorial premiers agree that the federal government should negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the United States, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday.

Ford, who is currently chair of the Council of the Federation, Canada's 13-member prime ministerial group, said they had a call and there is a clear consensus that the country needs separate deals with the United States and Mexico.

“All the premiers, we know that Mexico is importing cheap Chinese parts, putting ‘made in Mexico’ stickers on them, shipping them through the United States and Canada, and that’s costing American and Canadian jobs,” he said after the call ended. “We want fair trade.”

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Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said she has been told “very serious” concerns by members of the outgoing administration of U.S. President Joe Biden and advisers to incoming President Donald Trump about Mexico becoming a “back door” for Chinese goods.

Freeland sought to reassure nervous Canadians that the country is in good shape to face the incoming Trump administration, even as it threatens new tariffs as Ottawa races ahead with the U.S. on Chinese trade irritants.

Direct relationships with governors

The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement is up for review in 2026.

The premiers are requesting a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his officials to discuss the idea of ​​bilateral negotiations.

See also

• Ottawa toughens its stance on Mexico on free trade
• Borders, a “priority” of the federal committee on relations with the Americans
• Quebec worries about economy after Trump election, but Ottawa reassures

This week, Trudeau said he raised his concerns directly with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on the sidelines of the G20 leaders’ summit in Brazil.

Doug Ford, meanwhile, has spoken often about building relationships with governors across the United States, speaking directly to his subnational counterparts and reminding them that Ontario is the largest trading partner for 17 states and the second largest for 13 others.

The premiers are scheduled to meet in Toronto in mid-December. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew suggested inviting some governors to the meeting, Ford said.

“I’m not sure if some of them will show up because they’re in transition right now,” he said. “We’re planning on going as Team Canada in February… maybe March when everybody gets back to Washington, and there’s a governors meeting in February, if I’m not mistaken. We’d like to be there for the governors meeting.”

With Kyle Duggan