Manufacturers urge governments to preserve CUSMA ahead of 2026 review

Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) says manufacturing leaders from Canada, the United States and Mexico are calling on governments to protect and strengthen the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) ahead of its scheduled 2026 review.

Representatives from CME joined counterparts from the National Association of Manufacturers in the United States and CONCAMIN in Mexico this week at the North American Manufacturing Conference in Washington.

The groups said North America’s manufacturing competitiveness depends on maintaining integrated cross-border supply chains and the free flow of trade under the trade pact, also known as USMCA in the United States.

The conference includes executive roundtables, a congressional reception and meetings involving senior trade officials from all three countries, including Canada’s chief trade negotiator to the United States.

“We’re pleased to be in Washington this week standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our U.S. and Mexican partners to back CUSMA and defend free trade in North America,” said Dennis Darby, president and CEO of CME. “Our manufacturing industries are united together by shared supply chains and shared purpose. The message from manufacturers is clear: North American co-production isn’t optional – it’s essential to this region’s global competitiveness and to the strength of the manufacturing businesses and livelihoods of the workers who depend on it.”

CME also said it is surveying Canadian manufacturers on trade and tariff issues to help shape its submissions to trade negotiators and inform Darby’s participation on the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council on Canada-U.S. Economic Relations.