Canada suggests it could quit NAFTA talks over dispute mechanism
Source: Reuters
(Reuters) - Canada laid down a tough line ahead of talks on modernizing NAFTA on Monday, suggesting it could walk away if the United States pushed to remove a key dispute-settlement mechanism in the trade deal.
Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, outlining Canada's goals, said she was "very optimistic" the negotiations would be a success. NAFTA members Canada, Mexico and the United States hold their first session in Washington on Wednesday.
Canada opposes Washington's plan to scrap the so-called Chapter 19 dispute settlement mechanism, under which binational panels made binding decisions on complaints about illegal subsidies and dumping. The United States has frequently lost such cases.
"Canada will uphold and preserve the elements in NAFTA that Canadians deem key to our national interest – including a process to ensure anti-dumping and countervailing duties are only applied fairly when truly warranted," Freeland said in a speech at the University of Ottawa.
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