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Trade more important than playing politics: Canada PM Trudeau on Harper's NAFTA comment

| @indiablooms | Jul 21, 2018, at 09:59 pm

Ottawa, July 21 (IBNS): Taking on his predecessor Stephen Harper over the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said trade is more important than playing politics, media reports said.

Trudeau said this in response to Harper's allegation that the present PM is resisting himself from making a NAFTA deal with the US in order to make political gains by standing up to US President Donald Trump.

Responding to the allegation, Trudeau said and he has been quoted by CTV News that the trade relationship between the US and Canada is "much more important than playing politics."

"I think I've been very clear for a long time now that the issue of trade with the United States and our relationship with the United States is far too important to play partisan politics with," he added.

Harper's statement has been quoted by CTV News as saying, "The reality is that the Government of Canada believes today that it is doing very well, the fight with Trump is good for it politically, it is winning."

"So if it can take that fight and continue it, and more importantly paint conservatives as linked to Donald Trump, this is great for them. And so right now that is the strategy they are on."

The NAFTA is an agreement which came into force from January 1994 by Canada, Mexico and United States creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America.

Trump has alleged that the US faced severe losses in trade pacts with Canada and Mexico, the two partners of NAFTA deal.

For more than two years, US President Trump criticised the agreement and also hinted to take some serious steps being in the administration or at least send some ultimatums.

Trump reportedly wants the treaty to be more fair.

Both Canada and the US differ on the subject of climate change.

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