By Canadian Press

In their own words: Reactions to the signing of the new NAFTA deal

Nov 30, 2018 | 11:25 AM

OTTAWA — Some of what was said after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto signed a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement in Buenos Aires on Friday morning:

“The Americans are counting their victories in what they got from Canada and Trudeau is counting his victories in what he didn’t have to give away… This deal includes a cap, a limit to what Canadian agricultural producers can sell to other countries. Not the U.S., not to Mexico, but to other countries. That is devastating to our agricultural communities. It’s unprecedented for a government, for a prime minister to agree, in order to please the Americans, not to sell to other countries so that they can sell, so that American farmers can fill that market. … This deal is not better than what we had going into these talks. There’s no gains for Canada. It’s all concessions, no victories.” — Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer

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“Trudeau has just sacrificed tens of thousands of good jobs in Canada. He has given in to Donald Trump and given up the last lever Canada had to protect farmers and tens of thousands of workers in Canada’s aluminum and steel industries. The Trudeau government promised repeatedly that it would defend Canada’s supply management system and fight against Trump’s illegal tariffs, but instead he has dealt a devastating blow to supply management and signed away any leverage we had to stop the tariffs.” —NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh

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“Trudeau lied to dairy producers. He promised them he would never sign an agreement that gave the Americans the right to decide how we organize our production. He signed that agreement this morning. He promised that he’d never let Donald Trump stop our producers from selling their surpluses on the global market. He did that. The Liberals’ word means nothing.” —Bloc Quebecois international trade critic Gabriel Ste-Marie

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“While the agreement falls short of what North American business sought, it generally maintains tariff-free access for Canadian products, retains the labour mobility provisions, strengthens intellectual property protections, and ensures Canada has access to the most crucial aspects of dispute settlement. However, much work remains to be done. We are now entering a difficult ratification process in the United States. It is crucial that our government and Canadian and U.S. businesses continue making the case to U.S. legislators that speedy ratification is important for all three countries to enjoy the benefits of trade certainty.” —Canadian Chamber of Commerce

The Canadian Press