The United States has launched a public consultation ahead of the 2026 joint review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, kicking off a formal process that could shape trade rules across North America for years to come.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said the exercise will feed into positions the United States takes into the sixth-anniversary review set for July 1, 2026, when the three partners meet to evaluate how the pact is working and whether to extend it for another 16 years.
The agency will accept written submissions through November 3 and plans a public hearing on November 17 in Washington.
The notice invites views on implementation, compliance, investment conditions, and ways to strengthen regional competitiveness, including the work of the North American Competitiveness Committee.
The consultation comes after a volatile year for North American trade policy, which has left companies seeking clarity on everything from tariff exposure to supply chain rules.
The joint review can reinforce the framework that has underpinned cross-border manufacturing and services since 2020, or it can surface fault lines that complicate capital spending, hiring, and long-term sourcing decisions. U.S. and Canadian equity markets tend to respond quickly to signals on autos, agri-food, energy, and digital trade.
Each of those sectors depends on CUSMA’s market access and rules enforcement to keep plants running and goods moving.
Canada’s largest business network is urging policymakers to treat the review as a stability exercise.
In a statement responding to the U.S. move, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce called the launch of consultations an important milestone on the path to a productive review and framed the agreement as central to North American competitiveness.
The group said it will engage with members and the federal government to surface priorities and maintain a predictable environment for exporters and investors that rely on integrated supply chains.
The U.S. notice lays out a structured path to that outcome. It specifies the deadlines for comments, hearing logistics, and the scope of input USTR is seeking, from practical implementation issues to recommendations the United States should table before the joint review meeting.
It also reiterates the mechanics embedded in the agreement’s review clause. The commission that governs CUSMA must meet on the sixth anniversary of entry into force to evaluate the pact and decide on any appropriate actions.
At that point each country is expected to confirm whether it wants to extend the agreement for another 16-year term. These procedural details matter to companies mapping investment cycles and to lenders calibrating risk across North American supply chains.
Automotive rules of origin and the treatment of EVs and batteries remain central to production plans in Ontario, Michigan, and the border states.
Agri-food access and sanitary measures can swing margins for growers and processors in the Prairies and the Midwest. Digital trade standards, data flows, and services commitments have become more material as software, fintech, and cloud providers scale up cross-border operations.
Dispute settlement outcomes to date, including on energy and dairy, have reinforced that the pact’s enforcement tools can alter pricing power and market share.
None of these topics is preordained for revision in 2026, but they are likely to feature prominently in the public record that USTR is now building.
The consultation opens a near-term channel to register operational concerns and opportunities. Submissions that translate real-world frictions into targeted fixes tend to carry weight in trade reviews.
Written comments are due November 3, the hearing is scheduled for November 17, and the joint review window begins next July.
Companies with capital projects, supplier contracts, or hiring plans sensitive to border rules and potential tariff exposure should align their internal risk scenarios with those dates.
