"Not me," says Lighthizer as Freeland, NAFTA negotiators move forward

Donald Trump's "resistance" claim to the White House presidency came on Thursday in Canada's laborious march toward an agreement on the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland has had two hours of talks with her US counterpart, business czar Robert Lighthizer, barely registered in the US capital, despite important issues for the continent's economy.

While Trump smoked and a large-scale hunt was launched, the identity of the unnamed author of a New York Times editorial, Lighthizer was challenged by the drama, a series of Trump trustees who have publicly denied author and declared their loyalty to the president.

"It does not reflect my opinions at all and does not reflect the opinions of anyone I know in the administration. It's a complete and total manufacturing, "Lighthizer said in a widely quoted written statement.

He joined Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Dan Coats, Director of National Intelligence, and declared him Washington's most famous Beltway politician since Deep Throat during the scandal. of Watergate.

One block from the White House, where an angry Trump was firing on the disloyalty of his entourage, Freeland and Lighthizer continued their talks at the heart of North American prosperity.

They issued new market orders for their respective trading teams. Freeland has kept the same optimistic tone since arriving in Washington this week to revive talks with the Trump administration.

"We are convinced, as we have been from the beginning, that an agreement that is good for Canada, good for the United States and good for Mexico is possible," said Freeland, leaving the US representative for trade. his way to the Canadian Embassy.

Freeland added that officials "received instructions at this meeting and that they will continue to work and that our negotiations continue."

But with the economic plight of workers and industries in three North American countries, the New York Times has raised questions about how spillovers would affect the NAFTA negotiations.

Derek Burney, who was former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's chief of staff during the first Canada-US free trade negotiations in 1988, said any direct impact was unlikely, but Trump remained

"We have to hope to catch it between two crises to get an agreement," said Burney, who, along with Mulroney, advised Trudeau's current government on how to negotiate with Trump.

Trump "is feeling pressure on many fronts these days and could be frustrated to learn the limits of his authority over trade, hence his warning to Congress not to intervene," Burney said. became American ambassador after the initial free trade. treat.

Canada and the United States must submit an agreed text to the US Congress by October 1 in order to join the Trump administration's agreement with Mexico.

Trump is threatening to go ahead with an agreement that excludes Canada, but he also needs a trade win ahead of the mid-term elections in November, which will put him at the forefront. Its ability to keep control of Congress.

Flavio Volpe, president of the Canadian Auto Parts Manufacturers Association, said he did not think the latest bomb would have a direct impact on the negotiators inside the room.

"But it certainly highlights to all observers that it is not so easy to do this negotiation. It's a compressed calendar with a constantly changing counterpart, "said Volpe, who was in Washington on Thursday for meetings with auto industry representatives on the possible impact of Trump's threat to impose tariffs on Canadian automobiles.

Trump has already imposed high tariffs on Canadian and Mexican steel and aluminum, using a section of US commercial law that gives it the executive power to do so in the name of national security.

Freeland reiterated her view on Thursday that the fate of these tariffs was separate from the NAFTA negotiations, and she urged the administration to lift the action "unjustified and illegal".

During the day, she and Lighthizer looked at the results of their front-line negotiators who held a long series of talks that began Wednesday night and ended early Thursday morning.

Freeland offered little detail, keeping to his mantra of not wanting to negotiate in public – an agreement made with the lighthouse harshly as an act of good faith.

Both parties still have to resolve their differences on three key issues: dairy products, culture and the dispute settlement mechanism in Chapter 19.

The goal of this week's negotiations is to reach an agreement by December 1st. Congress can therefore approve a revised NAFTA to three countries before the new President of Mexico takes office.