Minister Ng attends Conference on the Americas, meets with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai 

May 2, 2023 – Ottawa, Ottawa – Global Affairs Canada

This week, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, attended the 53^rd Washington Conference on the Americas.

During the visit, Minister Ng met with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai. The Minister thanked Ambassador Tai for supporting Canadian membership in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), and for leading efforts towards an expansion process based on consensus among current members.

During their meeting, Minister Ng underscored the importance of upholding rules based trade to strengthen competitiveness through the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), reiterated concerns about ongoing unjustified U.S. duties on Canadian softwood lumber, and the need to work together to address shared concerns regarding reforms in Mexico’s energy and mining sectors.

At the conference, Minister Ng participated in a panel discussion on the importance of rules-based trade in the hemisphere with Costa Rican Minister of Foreign Trade Manuel Tovar and U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy.

In a separate meeting with Minister Tovar, Minister Ng reaffirmed the importance of Costa Rica as a regional trade partner and democratic ally in the region. She discussed opportunities to broaden commercial ties and build economic prosperity in the region. The Ministers also spoke about Costa Rica’s interest in joining the Global Trade and Gender Arrangement between Canada, Chile, New Zealand, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru.