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No ag agreement as trade talks with Canada continue

A spokesperson for the U.S. Trade Representative’s office says there have been no concessions by Canada on agriculture as NAFTA talks continue.

Today (Friday) is the day President Trump set as a deadline for Canada to join the trade agreement struck between the U.S. and Mexico earlier this week.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters that because of the extreme intensity and very fast pace of the conversation, she and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer decided they would not hold the negotiations in public.  She does believe both parties are working hard to reach a deal.  “We understand each other’s positions and what both sides need very, very well.”

Three of the major obstacles are U.S. access to Canadian dairy markets, the Chapter 19 dispute settlement process for challenging anti-dumping and countervailing measures and protecting patents for medicines.

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