Mexico’s Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of approving the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade, a deal that would replace the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The measure passed with a 114-4 vote, bringing the agreement one step closer to fruition. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador convened a special legislative session to hold the vote after the Senate convened in April.
“The USMCA is synonymous with opportunity in the short and long term,” Mexican Sen. Verónica Martínez García said of the pact.
Meanwhile, the deal is running into some roadblocks getting through Congress. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has the authority to bring legislation on the matter before the chamber, but has expressed hesitation about the deal, which she says lacks adequate mechanisms to enforce its labor and environmental provisions.
Canada has already introduced legislation through its parliament to ratify the agreement and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to lobby Democrats to support the USMCA during his visit to Washington, D.C., this week. He is reportedly meeting with Pelosi on Thursday.
Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said last week that Canada would be working “in tandem” with the U.S. in hammering out final passage of the historic trade deal.
“We think of it as a kind of Goldilocks approach. Not too hot, not too cold. We’re not moving too fast, not moving too slow,” Freeland said.
If the agreement between the three North American countries gets finalized, it will replace NAFTA, which was established in 1994. In October 2018, the three countries agreed to work toward ratifying the USMCA.
