Trade Irritants Could Impact CUSMA Review

A partner with Polar Pork fears outstanding trade irritants, particularly those surrounding supply management, could impact agriculture during the CUSMA renegotiation. As the July, 2026 start of the first joint review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement approaches, U.S. President Trump has been negotiating trade agreements around the world in which he's been asking for a base tariff of 15 percent on goods coming into the United States.

Florian Possberg, a partner with Polar Pork, observes, whether it's lumber or autos or steel and aluminum or supply management Canada has had long standing irritants over which the Americans will want to settle the score.

Quote-Florian Possberg-Polar Pork:

For agriculture, the supply management seems to be something that really irritates the Americans and if that has a knock-on effect on the rest of agriculture trade that certainly causes some concern. We'll have to see how that works out to see if it does change the dynamics of our pork trade. I think our Prime Minister Carney indicated when he got elected that they would have a trade agreement with the Americans by July and then it was into September-October and now we seem to be further away from an agreement.

The good thing is that we've been able to not have to suffer the tariffs. That's the best case we can have happen is that that continues after the renegotiation. The worst case is a 15 percent tariff that causes our cross-border business to be unsustainable. The elected officials, Prime Minister Carney has not delivered on what he thought he could negotiate with the Americans.

Possberg says Canada's pork producers along with their American and Mexico counterparts are holding their breath and hoping our cross-border trade can continue as it has in the past.