Edelman Canada shares its view on Trump's unveiling of NAFTA 2.0 objectives. To learn more about Edelman Canada, please visit www.edelman.ca.

1. Greater market access, cutting the US trade deficit, and modernization are among the top priorities
in the comprehensive list provided to Congress
Thirty days before negotiations on NAFTA are expected to begin, the Trump Administration has outlined the specific
goals it has to Congress through an 17-page summary. This comes as the Trudeau Government has undertaken an
unprecedented outreach campaign to not only the Trump Administration and Members of Congress, but State and
local leaders in order to promote the close relationship between Canada and the United States, and the benefits of
NAFTA to both.
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer unveiled the broad set of priorities, covering areas ranging from Agriculture,
Manufacturing, Intellectual Property, Telecommunications and the Digital Economy to bringing changed Labour and
Environmental provisions into the core agreement. There is a similarity to elements in the Trans-Pacific Partnership,
specifically around trade barriers and regulatory cooperation. Of significant importance to Canada, there is also a
proposed objective to eliminate the dispute resolution provision of the current NAFTA, which has delivered past
victories for Canada around softwood lumber.
The Edelman Perspective
Overall, these objectives are the starting position of the Trump Administration as it enters negotiations with Canada
and Mexico. Given the broad scope of the priorities these negotiations will not be a simple “tweak”, and neither do
they represent an opening attempt by the Trump Administration to completely tear up the agreement.
Cutting the US trade deficit by increasing market access and creating a regulatory framework favorable to American
workers and businesses is part of the economic populism which propelled Mr. Trump into the White House. With that
in mind, these priorities represent the political goals of the Administration, not necessarily what they will achieve
entirely at the bargaining table. This notice to Congress also signals another legal step closer to the beginning of the
negotiations, expected to begin in the next thirty days.
Recently, Prime Minister Trudeau spoke at the National Governors Association meeting in Rhode Island, where he also
met with US Vice-President Mike Pence. Meanwhile his ministers, provincial representatives, and MPs have continued
to travel across the United States to promote the Canada-US trade relationship. That Trudeau was the first Canadian
Prime Minister to speak to this group is the latest signal of both the priority that the Canadian government has placed
on the Canada-US file, and how critical continued engagement will be to the success of the Canada-US economic
partnership as NAFTA negotiations begin next month.
DARCY WALSH
Senior Vice President & General Manager, Ottawa
613.569.9000 | darcy.walsh@edelman.com
CHRISTOPHER VIVONE
Senior Vice President – Public Affairs, Ottawa
613-569-9000 | chris.vivone@edelman.com
Trump Administration Unveils NAFTA 2.0 Objectives