Blazingcatfur

The era of North American free trade is over.

That point was hammered home by the report on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement sent to Congress last week by the U.S. Trade Representative, a prelude to the formal review of the deal set to start in July, but which could get underway earlier.

While it can be read several ways, the report, and USTR Jamieson Greer’s oral comments, reveal that even if the USMCA continues to tick over during the 2026 review, there will be tough demands by the Trump team for concessions from Canada and Mexico, backstopped by the threat of U.S. withdrawal from the agreement on six months notice.

The organization that represents some of America’s largest spirits producers is calling for the NSLC to remove a policy that gives preferential markup to Nova Scotian spirit products.

In a recent 77-page report sent to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States outlined trade barriers they face in different countries.

The Canada section covers six pages, where the barriers include the boycott on selling American alcohol in most provinces and preferential markups on local spirits in Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, P.E.I., Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs might have been named The Canadian Press News Story of the Year, but Prime Minister Mark Carney’s failure to adequately deal with them ought to have been.

When Carney announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Liberal party, after former prime minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation early last year, Carney sold himself to Canadians as the man who could meet the moment and deal with the Trump juggernaut.