Federal Agriculture Minister Laurence MacAulay made a strong pitch for
continued trade with the United States during a meeting in Baton
Rouge, La., of agriculture minister from Canadian provinces and
agriculture commissioners from U.S. states.
His
comments come two weeks before Donald Trump takes the oath of office
as U.S. president, promising to renogiate the free trade agreement
among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico to make it more favourable to the
U.S
“This
summit is a prime example of the strong agricultural trade
partnership that exists between the U.S. and Canada, “ said
MacAulay.
“The
U.S. is our closest friend, partner and most important economic
relationship. Working together to identify opportunities for our
farmers offers them the best opportunity to succeed, grow our
economies, and create jobs.”
he said.
Two-way
trade is more than $4 billion a year, according to the most recent
statistics.
He
told the annual meeting of political leaders that he hopes the new
U.S. administration, Congress and Senate will work to strengthen
agricultural trade with Canada.