TORONTO– The leader of Canada’s most populous province said Wednesday that all of the country’s provincial and territorial governments want Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s federal government to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the United States that excludes Mexico.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford chaired a phone call with the 13 provincial and territorial premiers and said they want Trudeau to strike a direct bilateral trade deal with the United States, the country’s largest trading partner. Canada.

The meeting and Ford’s comments come as Canada’s provincial and federal governments prepare for the uncertainty of another Donald Trump presidency.

“There is a clear consensus that everyone agrees that we need a bilateral trade agreement with the United States and a separate bilateral trade agreement with Mexico,” Ford told reporters in Toronto after the call with provincial leaders.

“We know that Mexico is importing cheap Chinese parts, putting “Made in Mexico” stickers on them, and shipping them through the United States and Canada, resulting in the loss of jobs in the United States and Canada. We want fair trade,” he said.

Ford said he requested a meeting with the Trudeau government to discuss the issue.

Asked about the issue during her morning press briefing. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Trudeau “did not agree with this” and wanted to “maintain the treaty between the three countries and strengthen relations.”

She said that during the bilateral meeting held during the G20 summit, Mexico proposed to draft a document with concrete data on how the treaty benefits each of the three countries, since there is a misconception that it only benefits Mexico or Canada.

But Trudeau’s federal government did not rule out the possibility of excluding Mexico from future trade negotiations on Tuesday. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said she shares the concerns of the United States that Mexico is serving as a back door for China to import cheaper products into the North American market, as a review of the trade deal known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement looms.

Freeland said members of the outgoing administration of U.S. President Joe Biden and supporters and advisers of President-elect Trump have expressed “very serious” concerns to him on the issue and that Canada shares them.

Freeland chairs a special cabinet committee on U.S.-Canada relations, designed to address concerns about another Trump presidency. Freeland met with provincial, business and labor leaders across Canada.

Canada has taken a “Team Canada” approach in previous trade negotiations with Trump. This crossed all party lines.

Trudeau called Trump after his election victory and the two discussed the trade deal Trump struck during his first term with Canada and Mexico, the USMCA, which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement. American, or NAFTA.

Ottawa will soon have to focus on a planned review of the agreement in 2026.

During the recent US election campaign, Trump proposed 10% rates to 20% on foreign products — and in some speeches he mentioned even higher percentages. Trump did not say whether his administration would exempt Canada.

During Trump’s first term, his decision to renegotiate NAFTA and reports that he was considering a 25% tariff on the auto sector were seen as an existential threat to Canada.

Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and 75% of its exports, which include automobiles, go to the United States.

Ford said provincial and territorial leaders will meet in person in Toronto in mid-December to discuss their trade concerns with the United States. He also pointed out that there would be a meeting of US governors in February which he said they would like to attend.

“I just think we need to work with our largest trading partner,” Ford said.

Ford said Ontario does C$40 billion (US$29 billion) in bilateral trade with Mexico, but Ontario exports only C$3.5 billion (US$2.5 billion). ) and imports 36.5 billion Canadian dollars ($26.1 billion).

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Associated Press writer Maria Verza in Mexico contributed to this report.