WASHINGTON – United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai today held a virtual meeting with Canada’s Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, Mary Ng, on the eve of the first Free Trade Commission meeting of the United States – Mexico – Canada Agreement (USMCA).
Ambassador Tai and Minister Ng began by emphasizing the close relationship between the two countries. They expressed their commitment to fully implementing the USMCA and ensuring that trade advances equity and opportunity for all stakeholders. Ambassador Tai and Minister Ng committed to work together to address their shared goals of recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, building back better, addressing the climate crisis, combatting forced labor, and strengthening North American supply chains and small businesses.
Ambassador Tai stressed the importance of Canada fully meeting its USMCA commitments, including its allocation of dairy tariff-rate quotas and home-shopping. Ambassador Tai also expressed concern about Canada’s recently proposed digital service tax. They also discussed softwood lumber and WTO reform. The two agreed to continue to collaborate on addressing these and other issues, and to maintain an open line of communication.
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