Several stories on the remarks from USTR Greer to the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees … In them he gives a preliminary understanding of what the U.S. Administration took away from the recent USMCA hearings and some of the key issues will be in the coming review.
You can find the full Greer statement here.
Trump trade rep targets Canada’s beer and dairy rules in new CUSMA review conditions
John Paul Tasker · CBC News, Dec 17, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump’s point-person on trade laid out a series of conditions Wednesday that Canada must meet in order to extend the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement (CUSMA) when it comes up for a review next year — revealing publicly for the first time what the administration expects Prime Minister Mark Carney to do to keep the pact for the long term.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Congress that CUSMA has been “successful to a certain degree” but there need to be changes before Trump agrees to extend it for another 16 years or revert to yearly reviews, something Canada is eager to avoid given the resulting annual uncertainty.
“I don’t think we can say that USMCA is an unqualified success,” Greer said in his remarks, which were shared publicly after his closed-door meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
While Greer said the deal has turbocharged American exports to Canada and Mexico — they are up 56 per cent since 2020, according to his figures — “the shortcomings are such that a rubber stamp of the agreement is not in the national interest.”
Greer said his office will “keep the president’s options open, negotiating firmly to resolve the issues identified, but only recommending renewal if resolution can be achieved.”
That rhetoric is a departure from Trump’s past characterizations of the trilateral trade deal he brokered in his first term. At the time, the president called CUSMA “the best agreement we’ve ever made.”
Greer said the U.S. will take aim at two major Canadian policies: the Online Streaming Act, which brought online platforms like Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube under Canadian broadcasting rules, and the supply-managed dairy sector, among others.
Read the rest of the story…Trump trade rep targets Canada’s beer and dairy rules in new CUSMA review conditions | CBC News
Carney says sectoral tariff talks likely folding into CUSMA review as U.S. makes new trade demands
Rachel Aiello CTV News December 18, 2025
…That CUMSA review is shaping up to be another round of tough talks, with U.S. officials signalling Canada will need to make concessions.
On Wednesday, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer – speaking to Congress about the administration’s strategy for approaching the six-year joint review – said that while CUSMA has delivered benefits, Washington is not prepared to automatically extend it without addressing “specific” issues.
“(CUSMA) has been successful to a certain degree,” he said, citing the certainty for North American trade it has provided, according to a document shared after Greer’s closed-door meeting. Though he also said the deal’s gains do not outweigh what he described as “structural shortcomings.”
“USTR will keep the President’s options open, negotiating firmly to resolve the issues identified, but only recommending renewal if resolution can be achieved,” Greer’s prepared remarks state…
…there will be both bilateral and trilateral negotiations to try and iron out respective issues with Mexico and Canada, Greer said the U.S. will specifically be pushing this country to expand access to its supply managed dairy market.
While Canada allows a limited amount of U.S. dairy to enter tariff-free under CUSMA, Greer told U.S. lawmakers that Canadian policies “unfairly restrict market access” for American products.
Greer also cited Canada’s Online Streaming Act – which he said “discriminates against U.S. tech and media firms,” and the Online News Act, as irritants. Both Trudeau-era laws bring streaming and digital news platforms under Canadian cultural and broadcasting rules.
Another area irking the Americans, according to Greer, is Canadian provinces’ bans on U.S. alcohol products…
…The prime minister called these issues “a subset… of a much bigger discussion,”
Read the rest of the story… Canada-U.S. trade: Carney plays down chances of a deal
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