PHOENIX – United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai met yesterday with Canada’s Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade, and Economic Development, Mary Ng, ahead of the fourth meeting of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) Free Trade Commission (FTC).
During the meeting, Ambassador Tai and Minister Ng emphasized the close economic relationship between the United States and Canada and the importance of cooperation under the USMCA.
In particular, they reinforced their shared commitment to cooperation regarding the USMCA obligation to prohibit the importation of goods produced with forced labor and advancing the USMCA Competitiveness Committee’s work to implement FTC Decision Number 5 to enhance coordination and consultation to support maintaining North American trade flows in emergency situations. As part of this work, Ambassador Tai and Minister Ng announced they will jointly release U.S. and Canadian mechanisms to coordinate internally on North American trade flows in emergency situations.
Ambassador Tai and Minister Ng also agreed to expand bilateral collaboration to address non-market policies and practices that undermine the USMCA and harm U.S. and Canadian workers.
Ambassador Tai also reiterated the United States’ continued concerns with Canada’s proposed digital service tax and emphasized the longstanding dissatisfaction with Canada’s dairy tariff rate quota allocation measures.
The ministers agreed to continue to collaborate on addressing these issues and other shared priorities to advance North American economic competitiveness.
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