Prime Minister Mark Carney appears untroubled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent claim that the United States would “do better without” the North American free trade pact.
“It’s no secret the president in recent years has not been the biggest fan of CUSMA or other trade deals,” Carney told reporters at a news conference in Vancouver on Thursday.
“But there are specific things that we can work on, including … forest products, which we continue to press with the Americans.”
Trump expressed his displeasure with the current deal to reporters on Wednesday at the G7 summit in France.
Trump said he would rather “leave it unsigned” or “have it terminated.”
The president sent mixed signals, though, by indicating that he might ultimately sign off on its renewal.
CUSMA refers to the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement on trade, which is up for mandatory review this year with a formal review scheduled to start by July.
Mexico’s Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard said Thursday, after wrapping up a second round of talks with the U.S., that a virtual joint-meeting on CUSMA is scheduled for July 1 with Canada and the United States.
U.S.-Canada Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s office would not confirm the virtual meeting.
Canada and Mexico both have called for a 16-year extension to the agreement.
But comments from the Trump administration suggest the U.S. expects to blow past the July 1 deadline, triggering an annual rolling review for up to a decade.
Carney noted Thursday that without any action, the deal will still remain in place for at least the next decade.
The deal can also be cancelled with six months’ notice.
Carney said on Thursday his conversations with Trump over the past few days at the recent G7 summit were very detailed and “technical” in nature.
United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has said there are pillars of the continental trade pact that work well. Greer has also signalled openness to two separate bilateral agreements.
There are also several American economic sectors asking for the pact to be renewed, including agriculture and the auto sector.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2026.
— with files from Kelly Geraldine Malone in Washington and Ashley Joannou in Vancouver
By Kyle Duggan | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
