VANCOUVER — British Columbia Premier David Eby says U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest statement that he’s not looking to renew the trade deal between Canada, the United States and Mexico is a “bit bizarre,” given that the three countries are now in talks on the deal.
Eby says the president’s latest position on the trade pact known as CUSMA feels like a bad sequel to Trump’s 1987 book, “The Art of the Deal.”
The premier made his comments after a virtual First Ministers’ meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday.
Eby says he’s also not sure what Trump actually means, since his understanding of the agreement is that by not renewing CUSMA it would expire in 10 years, or 2036, with an annual review, as opposed to expiring in 16 years.
Trump said Wednesday that the United States doesn’t “need anything that Canada has” and also doesn’t need any goods from Mexico.
Trump also said Canada and Mexico “need everything” that the United States has, and that “they should have to treat us better.”
Last week, Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Mexico’s secretary of economy Marcelo Ebrard sent letters to Washington to call for a 16-year extension of CUSMA without receiving a clear indication of intentions from the Trump administration at the time.
Without the extension, options for the deal’s future include a non-renewal and non-withdrawal option, which triggers the annual review of CUSMA.
The deadline for renewal for the deal is July 1.
Eby says B.C. and Canada would prefer the stability of a 16-year extension, but status quo is fine as well.
“Let’s just get on with business, let’s have both sides respect the agreement, and let’s continue with the existing CUSMA agreement,” he said. “To be blunt, this sequel to ‘The Art of the Deal’ is pretty lame.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2026.
The Canadian Press
