1st trilateral meeting for CUSMA review happening July 1, Mexican official says

canadian river, Mexican and American officials testament feature their number one three-sided meeting to review the North American trade deal on July 1, a Mexican government official says.

Mexico's Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard posted a video on social media on Thursday announcing the meeting in regards to the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).

"On July 1 we will hold a virtual meeting with our counterparts from Canada and the United States. We will present Mexico's position, and they will do the same regarding the future of the free trade agreement," Ebrard said in Spanish.

Officials from the three countries have only been meeting one-on-one in recent weeks as the trilateral trade agreement is up for review this summer.

Canada needs to 'stay on target' in face of Trump's rhetoric, says O'Toole

July 1 is the date that the text of the agreement says the countries need to signal that they wish to extend the agreement past its 2036 expiration — though rolling reviews can continue for the next decade.

Ebrard indicated that not everything will be worked out by July 1, which is in keeping with what officials from other countries have said. The secretary said another meeting is scheduled to take place later in July.

Notice of the trilateral get-together comes in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's latest comments deriding the trade deal that he signed during his first term.

Trump says he only signed CUSMA to get out of NAFTA, may terminate deal

"I'm not a big fan of it. I liked it because it got us out of NAFTA," the president told reporters on Wednesday, referring to the trilateral trade deal that predated CUSMA.

"I would rather leave it unsigned. I'd rather have it terminated," he said, suggesting that he would rather the agreement "expire immediately" rather than in 10 years.

According to the text of the agreement, a country needs to give its counterparts six months' written notice before pulling out.

Trump wants CUSMA to expire 'immediately.' Here's the reality behind his takes on the trade deal

While the possibility of a withdrawal is real, Trump has not explicitly threatened to tear up the deal — at least, not yet.

Prime Minister Mark Carney shrugged off the U.S. President's most recent comments.

"It's no secret the president, in recent years, has not been the biggest fan of CUSMA or other trade deals," Carney told reporters during an unrelated news conference on Thursday.

Carney: 'No secret' Trump has not been the 'biggest fan' of CUSMA

"But there's specific things we can work together on."

Both Carney and Trump were at the G7 summit in France this past week and the prime minister said the two discussed the trade agreement.

Mexico and Canada have both signalled that they want to extend the deal, and both have been talking with U.S. Officials to work out specific trade irritants.

LeBlanc met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of the G7 this week. The minister described the meeting as positive, saying that Canada has "made progress" on resolving issues raised by Greer.

"We also talked about issues that are important to Canadian workers and the Canadian economy. So it's by no means a one-way conversation," the minister said.

Senior writer

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