Aug 31, 2017
U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to pull the United States out of NAFTA suggest that he believes he can do so unilaterally, but as a recent article by John Geddes in Maclean’s Magazine points out, that may not be the case. The truth is, there are various factors at play and it is far from clear how the whole situation will end up if Trump tries to “terminate” the U.S.’s trade agreement with Canada and Mexico on his own. For insight, Geddes consults Riyaz Dattu, Osler partner and international trade and investment law expert.
In the article, Riyaz explains that while presidents in the U.S. are responsible for negotiating trade deals, it is actually Congress that passes the laws that bring them into force. “President Trump would have to get Congress to repeal the [NAFTA] provisions that were written into U.S. law,” he says, adding that a clash between a president and Congress over the U.S. quitting a trade agreement is “an area that has not been tested.”
That said, it isn’t clear if there is sufficient pro-NAFTA political will in Congress to block Trump if he attempts to pull the U.S. out of the deal – and that means the debate continues.
To learn more, read John Geddes’ full article “Can Donald Trump pull the U.S. out of NAFTA all on his own?” in Maclean’s Magazine or Canadian Business.