OTTAWA—Under pressure from Canada and the U.S., Mexico appears willing to agree to enforceable labour standards to improve working conditions as the price for ensuring duty-free trade with its North American neighbours.
Moises Kalach, the head of trade for the Mexican national business council that is in close consultation with Mexico’s negotiating team, told the Star that Mexico is prepared to accept tougher labour provisions than are in the 23-year-old NAFTA.
“In the end, Mexico will sign to a deal that is a balanced pact, that will be beneficial to Mexico. If that balanced pact or new deal has a labour provision inside of it and that focuses a higher standards, probably yes, but it has to be a whole thing.”
“We’ve been very clear, a good deal has to have no tariffs, has to be a free trade agreement. You cannot limit exports. We would not sign into something that’s lower than what we have in NAFTA,” he said in an interview at the Mexican embassy.