U.S. to launch CUSMA consultations ahead of scheduled trade pact review

The United States is officially starting the process of reviewing the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement as President Donald Trump continues to shake up continental trade with his tariff agenda.

The U.S. Trade Representative is set to begin 45 days of public consultations ahead of the mandated review of the trade agreement, better known as CUSMA, next year.

A preliminary Federal Register notice posted online Tuesday, set for publication Wednesday, said there also will be a public hearing in November.

It marks the first official step toward renegotiating the sweeping trade deal that was signed during the first Trump administration. Trump has praised the deal but also has described it as “transitional” and has questioned whether it’s still necessary.

The continental deal has shielded Canada and Mexico from the worst of Trump’s efforts to realign trade through massive duties on nations around the world.

While Canada and Mexico were early targets of Trump’s tariffs, those duties do not apply to goods compliant under the trade pact.

There’s been a surge in the number of businesses looking to ensure their CUSMA compliance. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said the deal puts Canada in an enviable spot compared to other nations — even nations like the United Kingdom and South Korea which have signed bilateral agreements with the Trump administration.

Canada and Mexico are being hammered by Trump’s separate tariffs on steel, aluminum, copper and automobiles. Canadian officials have said their priority is to find an off-ramp for these sectors through a bilateral economic and security agreement ahead of the CUSMA review.