Quebec premier says North American free-trade agreement should be reopened now

Quebec Premier François Legault says talks should begin as soon as possible on renegotiating the North American free-trade agreement.

Legault made the comments today in a special statement to the legislature, a day after United States Donald Trump paused for 30 days the implementation of 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods and services.

He says the uncertainty that is being created by constant threats of U.S. tariffs is like injecting “poison” into the economy.

If Trump is unhappy with the North American free-trade agreement, then Legault says the U.S., Canada and Mexico should begin talks immediately instead of waiting for a scheduled review in 2026.

Legault says that in light of Trump’s tariff plans — what the premier says is a “brutal economic attack” — the province must diversify its economy and make it less dependent on the U.S.

The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, signed in 2018 and entered into force in 2020, governs trade across the continent and replaces the original deal that went into effect in 1994.