<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nafta-confidentiality-deal-1.4260435" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class="">http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nafta-confidentiality-deal-1.4260435</a><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><h1 style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 3.75pt; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="">NAFTA countries enter confidentiality deal on negotiations<o:p class=""></o:p></span></h1><h3 style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 1.16667rem; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 3.75pt; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="">Trilateral agreement forbids them from leaking other countries' materials.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></h3><p class="small" style="margin: 0in 0in 1rem; font-size: 0.83333rem; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16.2pt; background-color: white;"><span class="spaced"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(89, 89, 89);" class="">The Canadian Press</span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(89, 89, 89);" class=""> <span class="delimited">Posted: Aug 24, 2017 11:27 AM ET</span> Last Updated: Aug 24, 2017 11:27 AM ET<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-top: 0in; line-height: 16.2pt; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">Canada, the United States, and Mexico have entered a confidentiality agreement to protect each other's offers during NAFTA negotiations, with a list of rules designed to prevent leaks during the talks.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 1rem; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16.2pt; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">Each government is prevented from distributing texts, emails, proposals and presentations gathered from the other countries.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 1rem; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16.2pt; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">There are two exceptions: the material can be shared internally with government officials and externally with the stakeholders governments consult on the negotiations. The materials are to be stamped, "Confidential," and, when not being used, are to be protected in secure locations like locked file cabinets.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-top: 0in; line-height: 16.2pt; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">The agreement expires four years after negotiations conclude.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 1rem; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16.2pt; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">The countries can share their own documents with whomever they like, but the agreement forbids them from leaking other countries' materials.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 1rem; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16.2pt; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">"The policy underlying this approach is to maintain the confidentiality of documents, while at the same time allowing the negotiating parties to develop their negotiating positions, communicate internally and with each other and engage with their public as they consider appropriate in developing and communicating their own positions," said the document.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><h2 style="margin: 0in 0in 1rem; font-size: 1.66667rem; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="">'Standard' in trade talks<o:p class=""></o:p></span></h2><p style="margin: 0in 0in 1rem; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16.2pt; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">Such non-disclosure agreements are being called standard in trade negotiations.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 1rem; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16.2pt; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">The agreement was posted online this week by the United States Trade Representative, after being signed last month by the three countries' lead negotiators.</span></p></body></html>