TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th July, 2020) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will not attend the summit in Washington, DC to commemorate the entry of the new US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) into force, Press Secretary Alex Wellstead said in a statement to Sputnik on Monday.
The Prime Minister was invited to join US President Donald Trump and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to mark the new trade deal that was enacted on July 1.
"We wish the United States and Mexico well at Wednesday's meeting. While there were recent discussions about the possible participation of Canada, the Prime Minister will be in Ottawa this week for scheduled Cabinet meetings and the long-planned sitting of Parliament," Wellstead said.
The PMO said that Canada will continue to engage with its North American partners to "ensure this new agreement becomes a success for all three countries."
Trudeau's decision comes amid growing tension between the neighboring countries around the Trump administration's plans to possibly re-impose tariffs on Canadian aluminum.
"We're still in discussions with the Americans about whether a trilateral summit next week makes sense," Trudeau told reporters on Friday, adding, "We're obviously concerned about the proposed issue of tariffs on aluminum and steel that the Americans have floated recently. We're also concerned about the health situation and the coronavirus reality that is still hitting all three of our countries."
In May of 2019, the Trump administration lifted the 25 percent tariff on Canadian aluminum after reaching an agreement as part of the updated North American Free Trade Agreement - the USMCA - negotiations.
According to Semsar, USMCA is expected to add $68.2 billion to the US GDP and create 176,000 new jobs in the country.
