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CUSMA Not Renewed: What the Trade Deal Impasse Means for Your Wallet

  July 2, 2026 | Trade & Economy The mandatory six-year review of Canada's most important trade agreement came and went this week — and it did not go the way Ottawa hoped. On July 1, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer confirmed that the United States will not renew the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) in its current form, sending the deal into a more uncertain, year-by-year footing right as Canadians are already navigating tariffs, a soft labour market, and a technical recession. Here is what actually happened, why it matters, and what it could mean for your budget in the months ahead. The short version CUSMA isn't dead. It remains legally in force until 2036. But instead of locking in a fresh 16-year term, the deal now shifts into annual reviews, with existing tariffs on steel, aluminum, autos and softwood lumber unresolved for now. What happened on July 1 CUSMA was built with a mandatory joint review every six years. If Canada, the U.S. and Mexico had a...

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Canada’s economy continues to sputter in Q4 2023

According to Statistics Canada, Canada’s economy showed no growth in October, remaining unchanged at 0.0% on a monthly basis, which is below analyst expectations of 0.2% growth . This marks the third straight month where economic growth was essentially unchanged. Advance estimates for November showed that GDP increased 0.1% last month, as increases in manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting were partially offset by decreases in retail trade .

The country’s economic engine continued to sputter in the fourth quarter, according to Royce Mendes, Desjardins’ managing director and head of macro strategy. He expects the economy to post “virtually no growth” in the fourth quarter and continue to stagnate. As more households and businesses feel the impacts of higher interest rates in 2024, we expect Canada to fall into at least a mild recession. So while the economy is sputtering now, it might begin rolling backwards early in the new year.


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