Photo courtesy of Adobe stock.
MacAulay pledged to work with the incoming U.S. administration and Congress to further strengthen the bilateral agricultural trading relationship between the two countries. He spoke of the many benefits of the Canada-U.S. agriculture relationship, and the need for continued cross-border collaboration to ensure the respective agriculture sectors remain globally competitive and prosperous.
"This summit is a prime example of the strong agricultural trade partnership that exists between the U.S. and Canada,” MacAulay said. “The U.S. is our closest friend, partner and most important economic relationship. Working together to identify opportunities for our farmers offers them the best opportunity to succeed, grow our economies, and create jobs."
In 2015, bilateral trade in agriculture and agri-food between Canada and the U.S. reached C$47 billion. When it came into effect Jan. 1, 1994, the North American Free-Trade Agreement (NAFTA) created the largest free-trade region in the world. Being the first comprehensive trade agreement of its type, NAFTA has set a valuable example of the benefits of trade liberalization for the rest of the world. Canada was the top destination for U.S. agricultural exports valued at $20.3 billion (U.S. dollars) and 15.7% of total ag exports in 2016.
