The House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade met to study the upcoming review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), hearing from industry representatives, trade experts, and agricultural leaders. Witnesses included Jason Krips of the Alberta Forest Products Association, Todd Winterhalt and Joanne Tognarelli of Export Development Canada, Julie White of Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec, former chief trade negotiator Steve Verheul, and representatives from Dairy Farmers of Canada and the Union des producteurs agricoles.
Jason Krips emphasized that the softwood lumber dispute has long excluded forestry from trade agreements, causing mill closures and job losses, and he urged that forestry be given a seat at the CUSMA negotiating table alongside steel, aluminum, auto, dairy, and agriculture. He called for enhanced dispute resolution mechanisms with enforceable timelines for binational panel appointments, arguing that tariffs hurt both Canadian communities and American consumers by raising home-building costs.
Todd Winterhalt reported that Canadian exports contracted in August 2025 and that 40% of exporters surveyed are seeing declining U.S. orders, though 72% plan to enter new markets within two years. He stressed that while the U.S. will remain Canada’s largest trading partner, diversification to the Indo-Pacific, Europe, and Latin America is essential, and he noted that EDC has deployed $1.3 billion in support since March 2025 through its trade impact program.
Julie White stated that 96% of her members want CUSMA renewed but 75% want stricter compliance measures, and she called for Quebec to have an official seat at the negotiating table with a chief negotiator appointed by the Quebec government. She also highlighted the need for flexible liquidity support for struggling sectors like kitchen and cabinet manufacturing, a grandfather clause on temporary foreign workers, and faster rebate processing for retaliatory tariffs.
Steve Verheul warned that the U.S. is unlikely to support extending CUSMA at the January 2026 review, and he argued that Canada should pursue a broad, comprehensive negotiation rather than segmented deals, as a unified approach gives Canada more leverage. He stressed that Canada has lost its advantage by not conducting detailed consultations with industry and provinces, and he recommended waiting for U.S. economic conditions to worsen before seeking a deal, while also pursuing market diversification and domestic procurement.
David Wiens and Daniel Gobeil stated that dairy farmers have already conceded 18% of domestic production through previous trade agreements and that no further concessions—including on tariff rate allocations or regulatory changes—should be made. They emphasized that supply management must be kept entirely off the table, as further erosion would threaten the viability of family farms and rural communities.
Martin Caron urged Canada to keep CUSMA in its current form and to defend agri-food as a pillar of national security, noting that the sector contributes five times more to GDP than the auto industry. He called for harmonized standards to facilitate trade, exemption of private forest producers from softwood lumber tariffs, and stronger measures to prevent dumped products diverted from the U.S. market from destabilizing Canadian agriculture.
The committee did not debate any motions or procedural matters during this meeting.
AI-generated summary — may contain errors; verify against the official evidence.