Negotiations of the NAFTA: Québec reiterates its requests to an influential committee of the u.s. Congress

Photo Agence QMI, TOMA ICZKOVITS
The ministers Christine St-Pierre, and Dominique Anglade, and the chief negotiator for the Quebec, Raymond Bachand have spent about an hour with a dozen members of Congress, both republicans as democrats.

Axel Marchand-Lamothe

Sunday, 28 January, 2018 13:04

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Sunday, 28 January, 2018 13:08

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Representatives of the government of québec, have reaffirmed the importance of certain issues to an influential committee of the u.s. Congress that they were meeting for the first time Sunday, on the sidelines of the sixth round of negotiations of the NAFTA in Montreal.

“We’ve been very clear that the issue of supply management was fundamental and that, for us, it is important not to [change the system],” said the minister of the Economy Dominique Anglade to the output of the meeting.

The mobility across borders, and the question of the cultural exception were also part of the discussions.

“This is very interesting, it is how they were behind NAFTA,” added Ms. Anglade.

It was the first time since the beginning of the meetings for the renewal of the Agreement on free trade in north america that the committee is bipartisan “Ways and Means” moved to the negotiations.

The ten representatives of the us Congress in particular, are responsible for making recommendations to their colleagues in the field of taxation and trade.

The ministers Christine St-Pierre to international Relations, and Dominique Anglade to the Economy as well as the government’s chief negotiator, Raymond Bachand were able to engage in head-to-head with influential elected officials in the morning.

“We have also repeated the importance of NAFTA for the U.s., 9 million jobs [for them], pursued the minister St-Pierre. It is good for our interests to us, and for their interests to them. “

“It is a committee extremely important in the negotiation of the NAFTA, given that all the decisions must go through them “, stated Dominique Anglade.

According to Mr. Bachand, the talks between Canada, Mexico and the United States are advancing, slowly, but surely.

“We will see tomorrow with the visit of the U.s. ambassador [Robert] Lighthizer. It is he who will give the american response. There is a lot of progress on the technical side, ” he said.

Other meetings in parallel are provided for by the representatives of the government when the next round of negotiations in Mexico at the end of next month.

By then, the prime minister Philippe Couillard should also make it to Washington for the meeting of the governors u.s. in February.