<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><a href="http://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/nafta-u-s-wants-to-insert-5-year-termination-clause-in-the-agreement" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class="">http://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/nafta-u-s-wants-to-insert-5-year-termination-clause-in-the-agreement</a><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><h1 style="margin-right: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 24pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; line-height: 43.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 40.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="">NAFTA: U.S. wants to insert 5-year termination clause in the agreement<o:p class=""></o:p></span></h1><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 15pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-variant: small-caps;" class=""><a href="http://nationalpost.com/author/canadianpressnp" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(0, 94, 156); border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none;" class=""><img apple-inline="yes" id="E4BC1748-D932-4A4E-970C-DE437F003A3D" height="67.5" width="67.5" apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" src="cid:image001.png@01D32D61.6D395D70" class=""></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: rgb(0, 94, 156); border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none;" class=""><br class=""></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: rgb(0, 94, 156); border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;" class="">The Canadian Press</span></a></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-variant: small-caps;" class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><p style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 3.75pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 12pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class=""><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(64, 64, 64);" class="">September 14, 2017<br class="">1:17 PM EDT<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 22.5pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class=""><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">WASHINGTON — The United States is seeking to insert a so-called sunset clause into a new NAFTA, which would terminate the agreement after five years unless the three member countries agree to extend it.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 22.5pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class=""><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">Wilbur Ross, Donald Trump’s commerce secretary, confirmed the news Thursday, saying the constant threat of termination would force a permanent re-evaluation of the agreement and require countries to keep improving it.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 22.5pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class=""><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">“(It) would force a systematic re-examination,” Ross told a forum organized by the website Politico.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 22.5pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class=""><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">“You’d have a forum for trying to fix things.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 22.5pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" class=""><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">He said he and the U.S. trade czar, Robert Lighthizer, agree on the idea. Ross made his remarks after being asked about a report on the idea by Politico and he publicly confirmed the report.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 22.5pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 15pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 22.5pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">But he said it’s unclear whether Canada and Mexico, the other NAFTA countries, would accept the proposal.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 15pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 22.5pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">He said he wants a deal by the end of the year and would rather not terminate the agreement as Trump has threatened.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 15pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 22.5pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">Ross said it will become harder to get a deal after this year for four reasons: Next year, the U.S. fast-track law needs to be re-affirmed in Congress, the U.S. has congressional elections, Mexico has presidential elections and Canada has provincial elections.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 15pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 22.5pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">Ross said the president is serious when he threatens to cancel NAFTA.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 15pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 22.5pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">“It’s a very real thing,” he said.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 15pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 22.5pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">“But it is not the preferred option.”</span></p></body></html>