New Trade Agreement to Benefit Mining and Forestry Industries, says Minister

The new free trade agreement with the United States and Mexico will benefit northern Ontario by securing market access for industries such as mining and forestry, the Minister of Nature said Tuesday in Sudbury , Amarjeet Sohi.

The new agreement, called the US – Mexico – Canada Agreement, or USMCA, replaces NAFTA or the North American Free Trade Agreement. It sets out the rules governing the exchange of a wide range of products between the three countries and was a priority for the President of the United States, Donald Trump.

As an international company, mining companies need to access markets, Sohi said, and the USMCA provides stability to companies wishing to invest. He made the remarks at a press conference at Science North a few hours after announcing the launch of the Crush It Challenge, at a cost of $ 10 million. Mining companies are challenged to find a way to crush stones with less energy.

"Trade remains crucial for the mining and minerals sector, for jobs and for Sudbury," said Sohi at Science North. "That's why the USMCA is so important." This agreement offers more opportunities for Canadian businesses and good jobs for middle-clbad workers and their families.

"The ability of investors to make a decision based on the existing predictability (in the trade agreement) is very important," he added. "This agreement gives this predictability. He sets the rules for the next 18 to 20 years. "

The agreement also reinforces environmental and labor standards, which means that Canadians can be more competitive than our neighbors to the south, "said Mr. Sohi.

"Every time you apply less stringent environmental standards and less stringent labor standards in other jurisdictions, they are holding back investments in your country," he said. "I think that, thanks to better environmental standards in the new agreement and better labor standards in the new agreement, I think this gives us that competitive advantage over other countries, particularly Mexico or some American states. who do not have strict work standards in place. "

Sohi was introduced by Michael Mcnamara, president of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce. Mcnamara said the new trade deal is good for Canadian businesses.

"The Chamber Network has strongly advocated for a renewed trade agreement and we congratulate the government for listening," he said. "We would also like to congratulate … Canada's negotiating team for achieving an agreement that remains trilateral – and to do so under difficult conditions."

Mr. Sohi said that Canada benefits from trade liberalization and that the US and Mexican economies have experienced strong growth since the signing of NAFTA in 1993. The other trade agreements also benefited us, did we? -he declares.

"Canada is the only G7 country to have an agreement with all other G7 countries," he said. "This opens a much wider market for our economy and our businesses to grow."

To gain more weight in the negotiations, Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum citing national security. Sohi said it did not reflect reality.

"I think it's very unfortunate that the president thinks Canada is threatening American sovereignty, or American security," he said. "We have been powerful allies with each other. We fought together. We have families on both sides of the border because our economies are so integrated. "