Canada PM talks wages amid NAFTA talks in Mexico
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau poses for a group photo with employees and senators in the Mexican Senate, in Mexico City. Speaking during a state visit Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Trudeau have reaffirmed their commitment to a trilateral renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The fourth round of negotiations began Oct. 11 in Washington.
MEXICO CITY >> Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has raised the issue of Mexico’s persistently low wages as the two countries continue to negotiate with the United States over the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Trudeau said in a speech today to the Mexican senate that support for NAFTA “depends on the fruits of this trade being fairly shared.”
He added that trade agreements must help “workers across North America achieve better standards, wages and working conditions.”
Washington says it wants to increase labor protections and pay as part of the current round of NAFTA talks.
Mexican auto workers, for example, often earn about $2 per hour compared with $30 or more by their counterparts in the other two countries.
Trudeau spoke during a two-day visit to Mexico.
