As uncertainty remains around North American trade relations, one automotive player is saying the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) is “very important” to keep the industry well-integrated.
Speaking to Global News at the Calgary Stampede on Sunday, Jack Uppal, president and managing director of General Motors Canada said CUSMA protects the North American industry against other global players and “makes it stronger.”
Last week U.S. President Donald Trump said his country would not be renewing the agreement in its entirety to 2042 (the termination date of the pact’s potential 16-year extension) and instead would require an annual review. If no extension is agreed upon, the agreement will expire in 2036.
Last month Trump suggested that the U.S. is “better without” CUSMA, and that he’d even prefer to see it “terminated.” When asked by Global News, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra would not say if the administration is considering ripping up the deal, which can be done by any party with six months’ formal notice.
CUSMA has largely shielded Canada and Mexico from the effects of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. Uppal said tariffs is something GM has been monitoring closely, but so far the company has been able to protect its go-to market price points.
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“What we need to focus on really is ensuring that we keep our customer in the lens and we manage the affordability piece,” he said.
GM finished the first half of 2026 as Canada’s best-selling automaker, with 15.4 per cent market share and 148,640 vehicles delivered. That includes more than 30 per cent in growth of electric vehicle (EV) sales year-over-year. Even in Alberta, which has some of the lowest uptake of EVs, GM EV sales increased around 30 per cent.
“We are in an environment that is quite uncertain from a geopolitical perspective; we’ve got tariff noise, but at the heart of it is affordability,” Uppal said. “So that’s where I would really respond to those challenges. We have to double down and really focus on ensuring that we’re delivering value across our product portfolio to our customers to dampen the noise that nobody can really change.”
Despite shifting significant production to the U.S., Uppal said many of GM’s values still align with Canadian consumers.
“We are seeing the consumer really demanding more choice, more tech, more connectivity,” he said. “Choice is absolutely critical.”
Uppal said he does believe the uncertainty surrounding the trade agreement will “sort itself out” as talks continue among the three countries. But Canadian government officials are less certain.
Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc told The Canadian Press he asked U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer how he intended to structure discussions as part of the annual review. He said the request was made jointly with Mexican Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard.
“There wasn’t an answer at the meeting … It was agreed that we would continue the conversation over the coming weeks,” LeBlanc said.
The renewable annual review process, set in motion by the Trump administration, could last up to 10 years. At the end of that period, the agreement would expire if no path forward is found to extend it beyond its 2036 expiry date.
Exactly how those annual reviews will be conducted has yet to be determined.
– with files from Mackenzie Gray, Global News and The Canadian Press
They are just waiting until Trum pets out-of the way…
Ursula gets it. We cannot ask for fair trade if we are not willing to abide by it.
Crazy Pete took a seat only to be ignored.
Dozy Don saw a useless pawn and gave Pete the Canada beat
Oh thank you Don said Pete I will be your useless pawn
So it went and Pete became a creep
Does anyone honestly think that Poilievre would have been able to negotiate with a malignant narcissist like Trump any better than Carney has? I’m not a fanboy of Carney, but it’s uphill all the way dealing with a financially illiterate leader like Trump…
Carney never had any intention of negotiating with the US.
Anyone to lose a job, business or house should blame Carney and the Liberal’s for sabotaging our trade with the US, while alienating europeans to the point our postal service can’t deliver mail to Europe due to tariffs impised by the EU.
Anyone defending the Liberals is a complete and utter moron, and traitor.
Canada has been giving GM billions every year to keep the thousand or so jobs they still have left in Canada. Literally the only reason GM is in Canada is to collect tax dollars everytime they threaten to leave, it was never about building cars.
Canada doesn’t want to negotiate as it is all for domestic political purposes. Carney is playing with fire as the Big 3 and the Japanese automakers have stated they must have tariff free access to the US market otherwise there is no business case to make cars in Canada.
The LPC hasn’t even tried negotiating and if the Chinese enter the market GM is done anyway because they cant compete
“….more choice, more tech, more connectivity.”
Really? That’s not what im hearing. Interesting.
The Liberals won’t budge on Supply Management tariffs against the USA because the dairy and poultry corporations donate heavily to the Liberal Party. Until Supply Management tariffs are dropped the USA will not negotiate
Canada better get USMCA renewed otherwise all the Japanese companies have stated they will move all Canadian manufacturing to the USA. They must have acess to the USA market with no tariffs. A year later, Carney still has not got one tariff line item eliminated or reduced.
Modern auto production is built on global markets for R&D and manufacturing investments. I am glad we have a PM right now that understands real options theory (that first 49,000 Chinese EVs) and how that affects the governing dynamics as the existential threat it is to GM and Ford in these times instead of a populist simpleton like Pierre Poilievre.
A year later, Carney has not dealt with the sectoral tariffs that he promised he could do. He boasted he knew how to deal with and manage Trump. Carney incompetence is hurting Canada.
Trump created the problem, but Poilievre conservatives blame Canada. Try supporting our country instead of siding with the USA.
If only he had a 3 word slogan to solve this problem. Bahahaha FAW-Q CON whiners.
This is a trump created problem only the most uneducated would blame our PM for dirtbag Donny having a hissy fit.
Cons on here are truly Canada’s bottom feeders
ELBOWS UP, BENTOVER WITH A S S HOLE WIDE OPEN !!!
NEVER GONNA HAPPEN, MOVE THE F/ K ON !!!
Besides everything else Trump will be responsible for killing, he will be able to add the auto industry to that list!
Honda already stated they will leave Canada completely and move to the USA if CUSMA is not renewed. Carney has been a total dud so far in negotiations.
Elbows Up Carney! Funny. If Canada keeps stalling on CUSMA they could implode their entire Canadian auto sector. As an American in Michigan, this is totally fine with us as we will pick up the jobs.
Good job farty Carney, you destroyed Canada as a whole, elbows up, but pants down.
I hope the LIEberal voters love living in Somolia… that is where you stupid Canadians belong like those telemarketers live.