Canada Accepting Public Comments Ahead of 2026 CUSMA Joint Review
Since 1994, Canada has enjoyed free trade agreements with the United States and Mexico. The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) entered into force on July 1, 2020, replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that had been in force since January 1, 1994.
Article 34.7 of CUSMA provides governments with the opportunity to review the operation of the agreement. The first opportunity for a joint review of the Agreement will come in 2026. Canada is seeking comments from individuals and companies on areas of the agreement that are working well, as well as potential areas for improvement.
HRAI has been working with other business organizations, specifically the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME), to collect industry guidance that would represent the interests of the HVACR industry.
An HRAI members survey conducted in late October gave members the opportunity to expand on themes identified by the Chamber, and identified a number of priorities for HRAI members for the 2026 joint review of CUSMA:
- The importance of the continuity of the CUSMA Agreement and its existing key provisions, in consideration of how closely intertwined the economies of Canada, United States, and Mexico
- Support for using CUSMA as a tool to enhance North American economic competitiveness with suggestions to focus on workforce and skilled trades development
- Support for advanced manufacturing, emphasizing reducing dependence on high-risk regions, and in harmonizing standards while maintaining their high quality
- Active engagement with the Committee on Good Regulatory Practices, to coordinate and enhance dialogue, collaborate on Regulatory Impact Assessments, and improve transparency while setting key priorities for this type of collaboration
- Modernization and simplification of rules of origin requirements, noting the disproportionate impact that these requirements have for small companies, preventing innovation and discouraging companies from taking full advantage of CUSMA
- Strengthening North American economic integration, by reducing or eliminating tariffs between countries, including efforts to reduce or limit protectionist carveouts, and unilateral trade actions
- Development of a rapid response mechanism to deal with tariff escalation
If you or your company would be interested in providing your own comments on the CUSMA negotiations, please use the following link: https://international.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/consultations/trade/2025-09-19-cusma
Comments will be accepted until November 3, 2025.
Back to Newsletters
