December 18, 2025 — Dalena Reporters
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has outlined a set of issues that Canada must address if it hopes to secure a favourable renewal of the Canada–U.S.–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) during the mandated six-year review, USTR Jamieson Greer told U.S. lawmakers this week.
Greer told members of the U.S. Congress that access to Canada’s dairy market is among the central sticking points in upcoming talks over the North American trade pact, which is up for review ahead of its July 1, 2026 deadline. He said concerns about Canada's dairy policies and other trade practices are part of a “non-exhaustive” list of issues the U.S. believes must be addressed for CUSMA’s renewal to move forward.
According to Greer, while many stakeholders want the agreement extended and recognize it has provided some trade certainty across the continent nearly all also called for improvements before the pact is retained under current terms. One of the most prominent concerns relates to market access for U.S. dairy products, which Canadian supply-management rules effectively restrict, requiring Canada to ease conditions if the U.S. is to support a prolonged trilateral pact.
Beyond dairy access, Greer’s remarks referenced other contentious areas in the Canada–U.S. trade relationship. These include Canada’s Online Streaming Act and digital service rules that U.S. officials view as discriminatory to U.S. tech and media firms, provincial restrictions on the distribution of U.S. alcoholic beverages, discriminatory procurement policies in certain Canadian provinces, and complex customs registration requirements facing exporters on both sides of the border.
The USTR also highlighted issues surrounding electrical power distribution between Alberta and the U.S. state of Montana, noting that some regulatory barriers in energy trade remain unresolved. Greer suggested strengthening the rules of origin for non-automotive industrial goods to ensure that the benefits of CUSMA-related trade are more fully shared among the three partners.
The comments follow months of heightened trade tensions between Ottawa and Washington, including U.S. tariff actions on certain Canadian exports and threats by President Donald Trump to reopen or even let CUSMA expire if key U.S. priorities are not met — a stance that has generated political anxiety in Canada, which views the pact as a cornerstone for its export-oriented economy.
Canada has maintained that it will defend its supply-management system and other domestic policies while engaging in dialogue with the U.S. and Mexico ahead of the review. Canadian officials have also sought to reassure industry and farmers that negotiations will aim for a balanced outcome that preserves jobs, market access, and long-term economic co-operation.
The Trudeau government and Ottawa’s trade ministers are preparing for increasingly complex discussions with U.S. counterparts, as stakeholders from agriculture to technology watch closely how CUSMA’s review and potential revision will shape North American trade in the coming decade.