Trade

The NAM co-hosted the 2024 North American Manufacturing Conference on Tuesday and Wednesday in Ottawa, Canada, along with the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters and the Confederation of Industrial Chambers of Mexico. This year’s conference kicks off the NAM’s advocacy push ahead of the expected review of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement.

Well-timed: The conference was timely, as President-elect Trump on Wednesday night announced his nomination of former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) as the next U.S. ambassador to Canada—and touted the USMCA.

• Said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons following the news: “We appreciate [President-elect Trump]’s foresight in prioritizing the U.S.–Canadian relationship and negotiating the USMCA, a trade deal that has been essential to the strength and success of manufacturing across North America. We look forward to working with [Hoekstra] as the next U.S. ambassador to Canada.”
• The conference also came just a day before significant news from Mexico: that its lower house of Congress approved a spate of constitutional reforms proposed earlier this year by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
• Some of the reforms—which include the dismantling of several independent public regulatory agencies and restrictions on U.S. participation in the energy sector—appear to violate Mexico’s obligations under the USMCA.

“A crucial moment”: “[T]his conference is happening at … a crucial moment,” Timmons told event attendees on Tuesday. “We need to be clear-eyed about what we’re up against as we forge a more resilient and stronger North American manufacturing economy. Our associations and companies are at the vanguard. It will be up to us to make the case for vibrant economic ties and trade between our countries.”

Strong trade ties needed: The USMCA was a main topic at the conference, which consisted of multiple panel discussions and fireside chats with officials, experts and journalists from the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

• In talks on Tuesday with reporters from CNN and Canada’s Globe and Mail, Timmons highlighted the results of a recent joint NAM–CME-CONCAMIN survey. It found that “86% of [North American] manufacturers expressed strong support for extending the CUSMA/USMCA/T-MEC agreement when it comes up for review.”
• The conference’s panel events focused on different aspects of the USMCA. Speakers on one panel talked about key opportunities and challenges for the agreement in a shifting global landscape, while those on another keyed in on the effectiveness of the USMCA four years after its inception.

Speaker list: Event speakers included ExxonMobil Senior Vice President and NAM Executive Committee member Neil Chapman, U.S. Department of State Acting Assistant Secretary of Economic and Business Affairs Amy Holman, CONCAMIN President Alejandro Malagón Barragán, Canadian Minister of Innovation François-Philippe Champagne, CEMEX Vice President of Corporate Affairs Carlos Garza Galán, veteran POLITICO reporter Doug Palmer and many others.

• NAM Vice President of International Policy Andrea Durkin moderated a panel on the USMCA review. It featured Martinrea International Executive Chairman and Co-Founder Rob Wildeboer, 3M Government Affairs Head for the United States and Canada Elise Maheu and Xignux Public Affairs and Institutional Relations Director for the United States Iván Rivas.
• “The review is a novel mechanism in a trade agreement,” Durkin said after the conference. “Manufacturers in North America base their long-term plans on the benefits of the USMCA. They want the three governments to avoid a scenario that creates significant business uncertainty.”

Ministerial meetings: Timmons—who appeared Wednesday on CBC News’ “Power & Politics” to discuss the likely impact of the U.S. elections on North American trade—also spoke one-on-one to Canadian Minister of Labor and Seniors Steven MacKinnon and Minister of Energy Jonathan Wilkinson.

• Timmons thanked MacKinnon for the Canadian government’s intervention in the recent bicoastal Canadian port strikes, which reopened the points of entry, as well as his intervention to end a rail stoppage in the country.
• In his discussion with Wilkinson, Timmons told the energy minister the U.S. and Canada should “build cross-border relationships” to share access to critical minerals and materials including copper, lithium, uranium and graphite.

The final say: “North America’s integrated manufacturing system is the envy of the world,” Timmons said at the event. “We hold a competitive edge globally—and we can keep it if our governments stay true to the commitments set forth in the USMCA.”