Carney talks CUSMA review with Mexican president as official negotiations loom

undercoat government minister deutsche mark Carney radius with Mexican chairperson Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday as the two countries are gearing up for the North American trade agreement review this year.

The two leaders touched on a number of topics, including the upcoming review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), according to a readout from the Prime Minister's Office.

"They agreed to work in close coordination to address shared economic priorities and challenges, and deliver greater certainty, security, and prosperity for their peoples," the readout of the phone call said.

Sheinbaum met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer earlier this week. The U.S. And Mexico are set to being official talks on CUSMA late next month, but Canada doesn't yet have a similar official start date.

The text of the agreement says July 1 is the date by which the three ​countries need to ​either approve a renewal ⁠of the existing agreement or signal their intention to exit the pact, but that process can take up to 10 years.

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Both U.S. And Canadian officials have said talks will likely go past that July 1 date.

Janice Charette, Canada's chief trade negotiator, said earlier this week that based on talks she's had with Greer, she expects the U.S. To work out some details with Canada and Mexico separately.

"There's a bilateral piece as well as a trilateral [piece] — my counterpart in the U.S. Has described this to me as a kind of snap-on Lego bilateral piece to the underlying framework [of CUSMA]," she said Wednesday during a Canadian Chamber of Commerce summit in Ottawa.

Carney and Sheinbaum also discussed bilateral ties outside of CUSMA, according to the readout.

A Mexican trade delegation is scheduled to launch a three-city tour of Canada at the beginning of May that will also include bilateral trade talks between government officials. That visit follows one of the largest Canadian trade missions ever in February, which touched down in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.

Tariff relief for aluminum manufactures hinges on increased production capacity in the U.S.

"The prime minister and the president highlighted the results of a successful Team Canada Trade Mission to Mexico earlier this year that resulted in over 20 new commercial partnerships and agreements. Prime Minister Carney welcomed Mexico’s upcoming trade mission to Canada," Friday's readout said.

The call comes as both countries are being hit with U.S. Tariffs on steel and aluminum.

On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that his administration is now offering Canadian and Mexican aluminum and steel companies immediate tariff relief if they commit to moving production to the United States in the future.

Those tariffs, as well as other U.S. Sectoral tariffs, came up as officials in both Canada and the U.S. Publicly aired trade grievances.

During an appearance before a congressional committee this week, Greer criticized Canadian provinces for removing U.S. Alcohol from the shelves — something that was initially done last year in response to Trump's tariffs.

Carney bristled at a question about Greer's comments during a news conference on Thursday, pointing to the U.S. Sectoral tariffs.

"You know what's an irritant? A 50 per cent tariff on steel and aluminum, 25 per cent on automobiles, all of the tariffs on forest products. Those are more than irritants. Those are violations of our trade deal, OK?" Carney said.

While Greer has suggested the sectoral tariffs are an issue outside the purview of the CUSMA review, Canadian officials have insisted the two issues must be discussed in tandem.

During his call with Sheinbaum on Friday, Carney also thanks the president for her "support and co-operation" after a Canadian was shot and killed in Mexico earlier this week.

The Canadian tourist — who has not been publicly identified — was killed when a gunman opened fire from one of Mexico's most visited pyramids on Monday.

Another 13 people were injured during the attack. The gunman, a Mexican citizen, died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Senior writer

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