Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a press conference on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur on October 27, 2025. (Photo by Arif Kartono / AFP)
Prime Minister Mark Carney is rejecting the prospect of America exiting the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) following remarks from a senior trade representative that Washington is considering pursuing individual deals with Canada and Mexico.
Carney briefly addressed the issue on Dec. 11, a day after U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said that the United States is leaving all options “on the table” regarding the USMCA and is already exploring the option of separate trade deals with both countries.
The prime minister was asked by reporters if he was open to separate bilateral trade pacts if the White House were to withdraw from the current deal.
“That’s not what they’re saying,” he responded.
Carney’s view was echoed by Minister Responsible for Canada-U.S. Relations Dominic LeBlanc who said Dec. 11 that discussions with the Trump administration do not indicate they want to exit the deal. LeBlanc added that Mexico also does not believe the United States plans to leave the trade pact.
Canada’s former top trade negotiator Steve Verheul, however, said previously on Oct. 30 that the Trump administration is likely to pursue a course of threatening to leave the pact in order to gain concessions from Canada and Mexico ahead of the review.
The United States, Mexico, and Canada must decide whether to renegotiate the deal by July 1 of next year. As Trump’s top trade negotiator, Greer has until Jan. 2 to inform Congress of the Trump administration’s decision.
Greer said the American trade relationship with Canada is “very, very different” from its trade relationship with Mexico and said the U.S. position on the trade deal is still being determined.
“Could it be exited? Yeah, it could be exited. Could it be revised? Yes. Could it be renegotiated? Yes,” Greer said Dec. 10 in a talk held by the Washington-based Atlantic Council think tank. “All of those things are on the table.”
Greer added that the United States is particularly concerned about tightening rules of origin regulations in the USMCA.
Various American industries, including truck parts and transport manufacturers as well as cabinetmakers, have recently alleged that some Canadian companies are using cheaply made Chinese inputs in their goods and then selling them without tariffs under the USMCA. The Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Association has refuted the allegations, saying the products are fully made in Canada.
Canada now has 25 percent U.S. tariffs applied to various furniture and certain auto parts; however, tariffs on kitchen cabinets and vanities are set to increase to 50 percent on Jan. 1.
Canada currently faces 35 percent U.S. tariffs on the majority of its non-USMCA compliant goods, as well as 50 percent sectoral duties on aluminum, steel, and copper. Total import taxes for some Canadian lumber can also now exceed 45 percent.
U.S. President Donald Trump stopped all trade negotiations with Canada on Oct. 23 after Ontario aired an anti-tariff ad in the United States.
Paul Rowan Brian is a news reporter with the Canadian edition of The Epoch Times.