John Weekes comments in the Globe and Mail on the Canadian government signaling its intent to push ahead with ratification of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). Negotiations on the new NAFTA concluded last fall, but none of the three countries has so far adopted legislation to enact the deal.

It makes some sense to move before the U.S. because it shows that Ottawa is serious about implementing the agreement, said John Weekes, Canada’s chief negotiator on the original NAFTA deal.

“This certainly shows our good intentions,” said Mr. Weekes, now a senior adviser at law firm Bennett Jones in Ottawa. “It makes it much more difficult for Trump to pull the plug on NAFTA, saying the other countries aren’t moving to implement this properly.”