AIA looking for NAFTA input

The Automotive Industries Association of Canada is asking for information from the aftermarket in regards to the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The AIA hosted a conference call with Steve Verheul, Canada’s chief trade negotiator for negotiations on NAFTA, on June 12 where he highlighted the importance of getting information from the aftermarket. The negotiating team would use the information as they enter renegotiations for NAFTA.

According to the AIA, the information being sought from the aftermarket industry includes:

• Partnerships that Canadian aftermarket stakeholders have with businesses in the U.S. and/or Mexico
• Harmonization activities that Canadian aftermarket stakeholders have implemented with counterparts in the U.S. and/or Mexico
• The impact of the NAFTA’s rules of origin regulations on Canadian businesses
• Updates to the NAFTA that could strengthen the Canadian aftermarket industry

Any questions can be directed to Erin Chreptyk, the AIA’s government relations co-ordinator at erin.chreptyk@aiacanada.com.

Recently, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer indicated that there is no set deadline to complete talks around NAFTA renegotiation, as the government is more interested in quality than speed. According to The Canadian Press, the Trump administration is under corporate and political pressure to wrap up talks sooner rather than later, perhaps as soon as the end of the year, which Lighthizer called “a very, very quick time frame,” while fielding questions about U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade agenda.

“We’re certainly not going to have a bad agreement to save time,” he said. “My hope is that we can get it done by the end of the year, but there are a lot of people who think that’s completely unrealistic.”

NAFTA discussions can begin on Aug. 16, which marks the end of the consultation period kick-started by the U.S.