<P> Shortly after his election, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would begin renegotiating the terms of NAFTA, to resolve trade issues he had campaigned on . The leaders of Canada and Mexico have indicated their willingness to work with the Trump administration . Although vague on the exact terms he seeks in a renegotiated NAFTA, Trump threatened to withdraw from it if negotiations fail . </P> <P> In July 2017, the Trump administration provided a detailed list of changes that it would like to see to NAFTA . The top priority was a reduction in the United States' trade deficit . The administration also called for the elimination of provisions that allowed Canada and Mexico to appeal duties imposed by the United States and limited the ability of the United States to impose import restrictions on Canada and Mexico . The list also alleged subsidized state - owned enterprises and currency manipulation . </P> <P> According to Chad Bown of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the Trump administration's list "is very consistent with the president's stance on liking trade barriers, liking protectionism . This makes NAFTA in many respects less of a free - trade agreement ." The concerns expressed by the US Trade Representative over subsidized state - owned enterprises and currency manipulation are not thought to apply to Canada and Mexico, but rather to be designed to send a message to countries beyond North America . Jeffrey Schott of the Peterson Institute for International Economics noted that it would not be possible to conclude renegotiations quickly while also addressing all the concerns on the list . He also said that it would be difficult to do anything about trade deficits . </P> <P> An October 2017 op - ed in Toronto's The Globe and Mail questioned whether the United States wanted to re-negotiate the agreement or planned to walk away from it no matter what, noting that newly appointed American ambassador Kelly Knight Craft is married to the owner of Alliance Resource Partners, a big US coal operation . Canada is implementing a carbon plan, and there is also the matter of a sale of Bombardier jets . "The Americans inserted so many poison pills into last week's talks in Washington that they should have been charged with murder", wrote the columnist, John Ibbitson . </P>

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