Rules governing autos will be the ‘core’ of new NAFTA deal, Freeland predicts
Posted Apr 19, 2018 1:36 pm.
Last Updated Apr 19, 2018 1:43 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
WASHINGTON – Canada’s foreign minister says new rules on autos will be at the core of a new NAFTA agreement.
Chrystia Freeland made the remarks between negotiating sessions in Washington.
Freeland says she and her peers are still talking about autos rules, and are now down to the finest details.
She says that the rules governing autos will likely be the centrepiece of any new NAFTA deal.
Officials from Mexico and the U.S. are saying a new deal is likely within weeks, although Freeland won’t be pegged down on a timeline.
Sources say the new autos rules will result in a modest increase in the required content from North America, slightly favouring companies that invest in research and pay higher wages.
Sources also say the goal is to have a new deal that can be ratified by the national legislatures of all three countries. However, the original NAFTA allows changes to auto rules a faster way: by cabinet decree.
