MEXICO CITY, Dec 13, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The Mexican Senate ratified the
modified North American free trade agreement with the United States and
Canada on Thursday after more than two years of arduous negotiations.
New additions introduced Tuesday to the United States-Mexico-Canada
Agreement (USMCA) — which notably toughen the deal’s labor enforcement
provisions — were rubber stamped by 107 votes to one, making Mexico the
first country to sign on.
The path to ratification for the other two countries, expected in early
2020, also looks clear for USMCA.
It replaces the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA),
which President Donald Trump complains has been “a disaster” for the US.
First signed in November 2018, USMCA got bogged down in political
complications, particularly in the United States, where opposition Democrats
questioned whether it would really force Mexico to deliver on labor reforms
meant to level the playing field between Mexican and American workers.
But another year of talks produced a series of additions — notably
including tougher enforcement of labor provisions — that won the blessing of
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the key Democrat needed to move the agreement
forward, as well as the largest US labor federation, the AFL-CIO.
During Thursday’s debate in Mexico’s Senate, lawmakers said the new trade
accord will stimulate the Mexican economy — which is forecast to contract
this year — and instill confidence in investors.
Some opposition senators, while voting in favor of the accord, said there
should have been more time for debate on it while others said free trade had
made economic inequality more acute.