Canada has rejoined the talks on the North American Free Trade Organisation (NAFTA), praising Mexico's trade concessions on autos and labour rights after being sidelined from the talks for more than two months. Canadian foreign minister Chrystia Freeland will reportedly be under pressure to accept terms the United States and Mexico worked out on a trade deal.

Freeland said Mexico's ‘difficult’ concessions to the United States would pave the way for productive talks as all three nations race toward a August 31 deadline for a deal.

"These concessions are really going to be important for workers in Canada and the United States," Freeland said after meeting with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, global news wires reported.

Meanwhile, while US lawmakers cautioned that a bilateral US-Mexico trade deal as announced recently would struggle to win approval in the US Congress.

Trump had warned early this week the United States could proceed with a deal with Mexico alone and levy tariffs on Canada if it does not come on board with the revised trade terms.

One of the main objections for Canada in the revised deal is the US effort to dump the Chapter 19 dispute resolution mechanism that hinders the United States from pursuing anti-dumping and anti-subsidy cases. Lighthizer said on Monday that Mexico had agreed to eliminate the mechanism.

Other hurdles include intellectual property rights, such as the US-Mexico 10-year data exclusivity for biologic drug makers and extensions of copyright protections to 75 years from 50, all higher thresholds than Canada has previously supported. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India

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