Foothills MP John Barlow isn't overjoyed with Canada's new trade deal with the U.S. and Mexico to replace NAFTA.

Canada signed onto the new USMCA Sunday, September 30, and Barlow says it comes with one big provision that's not going to make a lot of Canadians happy when it comes to signing more trade deals with other countries.

"Should Canada want to start negotiations or discussions with another country, a non-market entity, when it comes to free trade or free trade agreements, they must first get the approval of the United States. So the United States now has almost a VETO power on Canadian economic growth and new trading opportunities."

He says when it comes to consumers, we won't see a lot of difference in trade goods as we maintain our access to the U.S. market and vice versa at the same levels as NAFTA.

He says he's disappointed the Trudeau Liberals weren't able to get the U.S. to back off on the tariff's on aluminium, steel and softwood lumber.

Barlow says even though the Americans negotiated a larger share of the Canadian dairy market, that access didn't increase enough to make a big difference.

"I know Canadians are going to be thinking the price of their milk is going to be going down at the grocery store, but I just don't think that's going to be the case. Because the market access and impact it's going to have on American producers is going to be infinitesimal, but it will have an impact on Canadian producers, so we'll just have to see what happens to the retail price."

Alberta dairy farmers complain the 3.59 per cent increase in U.S. and Mexican dairy imports will harm their industry.

 

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