Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he doesn't think U.S. President Donald Trump will pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement, but Canada has multiple contingency plans ready if trade talks go south.
The latest round of talks wrapped in Montreal on Monday with the trade ministers from Canada, Mexico and the United States agreeing some progress was made but acknowledging there are still tough challenges ahead.
"Not only do we have a Plan B, we have a Plan C and D and E and F," said Trudeau in an interview with Chris Hall, host of CBC Radio's The House.
But the prime minister remained tight-lipped about what's in those dossiers.
"What [Plan B] involves is standing up for Canadians and making sure that we move forward in the best possible way, and depending on what the Americans do, depending on what decisions the administration takes, we'll make sure that we do the right things," he said.
"I think one of the dangers is falling into hypotheticals and chasing rabbits down holes," Trudeau said in the interview. "Just know that we have looked at a broad range of scenarios and have an approach that is going to continue to stand up for Canadian jobs while we diversify our markets."
'Our message has been consistent'
But Plan A is to stick with the charm offensive they've been pushing since day one.
"I don't think the president is going to be cancelling it," Trudeau said of the decades-old trade deal.
"I've been positive about NAFTA and NAFTA renegotiations from the very beginning. Our message has been consistent, to the president, to our partners and friends in the United States: that NAFTA has been good for American jobs. It's been good for Canadian jobs."
Trudeau says he does not think Trump will cancel NAFTA2:33
When they met earlier this week, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Mexico's Secretary of the Economy Ildefonso Guajardo closed a chapter on anti-corruption and made progress in some other key areas.
"This round was a step forward, but we are progressing very slowly," Lighthizer said.
The seventh round of negotiations will take place in Mexico next month.
The House's full interview with Trudeau airs Saturday at 9 a.m.. 9:30 a.m. in Newfoundland.
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