Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said informal talks on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) were likely to be held in the next few days on the sidelines of the UN meeting. As the U.S. deadline expires at the end of September, the negotiations still moving slowly.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed a side agreement with Mexico last month and threatened to exclude Canada if necessary. He also said he could impose a 25 percent tariff on Canadian car exports, which would seriously hurt the Canadian economy.
Since his inauguration, Donald Trump has vowed to scrap the NAFTA unless radical action is taken, which he blames for losing manufacturing jobs in the United States.
Canadian Foreign Minister Christia Freeland and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lightizer, the two senior officials at the talks, are scheduled to be in New York on Monday and Tuesday to attend the UN General Assembly.
