U.S. trade representative expects interim CUSMA options by year-end

The Trump administration expects to present interim options for the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) before the end of the year, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told a Senate committee in Washington.

According to Greer, the proposals would take the form of interim arrangements with Canada and Mexico after the United States decided earlier this month not to continue CUSMA in its current form. As a result, the agreement will now be subject to an annual review process.

Greer's comments come amid renewed trade tensions between Ottawa and Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose new 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods, while trade discussions between the United States and Mexico have continued for several months. No formal bilateral trade negotiations between Canada and the United States have been announced.

During the hearing, Greer also reiterated U.S. concerns over Canada's supply-managed dairy sector, provincial restrictions affecting the sale of American alcohol, and quotas involving U.S.-made vehicles. He said changes introduced by Prime Minister Mark Carney's government, including revisions to Canada's digital services tax, would not earn Canada special credit for addressing previous U.S. concerns.