News

ISSA Lauds Canada’s Approval of USMCA

On March 13, Canada formally approved the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), taking the last legislative step necessary for implementation of the deal to replace the 25-year old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA. The trade deal, ratified by the Mexican legislature last June and by the U.S. Congress in January, was formally ratified by the Canadian Senate on Friday and, shortly thereafter, received royal assent, the Canadian Governor General’s approval. The deal was passed through the legislature before Parliament shut down for five weeks in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

With royal assent, the USMCA has cleared its last continental legislative hurdle to become the law of the land in all three signatory countries. Canadian approval kicks off a three-month period for all three countries to agree on implementation regulations, including naming each country’s representatives for the conflict resolution mechanism.

“Canadian approval of USMCA is extremely important to our members and the full spectrum of the cleaning industry,” said John Nothdurft, ISSA Director of Government Affairs. “The updated agreement between these three countries is critical to our manufacturer and distributor members, whose cleaning chemicals, products, and equipment will be even more competitive as a result of this agreement. Likewise, cleaning service providers, their employees, and consumers will benefit from greater access to a wide array of affordable cleaning product choices. On behalf of our more than 9,300 members worldwide, ISSA thanks the Canadian government for approving this crucial trade deal.”

ISSA has been an active member of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Coalition, a group of more than 400 U.S. companies and associations that worked to secure congressional approval of the trade agreement. A coalition letter signed by ISSA and sent to members of Congress explains, “The new pact guarantees that virtually all U.S. exports will enter these markets tariff-free. USMCA will also modernize North American trade rules. For example, when NAFTA was negotiated a quarter century ago, there was no e-commerce; consequently, the agreement did not address this sector. While no trade agreement is perfect, USMCA’s updated trade rules in areas such digital trade, services, and non-tariff barriers promise substantial benefits.”

Additionally, ISSA signed onto numerous coalition letters, launched an email campaign in its Action Center, and attended coalition meetings urging passage of the USMCA.