PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Canadian government has gotten what it wanted during U.S. meetings this week: clear, public assurances from powerful Republican politicians that the North American Free Trade Agreement will be preserved. Those soothing messages came just days before the U.S. government is set to release its positions for NAFTA negotiations, which are scheduled to begin next month under the shadow of intermittent threats by President Donald Trump to rip up the three-country deal. Those reassurances didn't just come from the state governors gathered in Rhode Island for their summer meetings. They also came from Trump's vice-president. In a speech to dozens of state governors, Mike Pence promised a collaborative approach.

Brian Snyder / Reuters United States Vice President Mike Pence addresses the National Governors Association summer meeting in Providence, R.I. on July 14, 2017.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was seated in the room — he applauded the remarks. "We will modernize NAFTA for the 21st century so that it is a win-win-win for all of our trading partners in North America," Pence said, as Trudeau clapped and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland took notes throughout the speech. "I know you'll be hearing from Prime Minister Trudeau in a few minutes. Let me assure you: The United States and Canada have already built a remarkably strong relationship under these two leaders... We're grateful for the prime minister's leadership and his early outreach to this administration. President Trump recognizes that every trade relationship can improve and... we're looking forward to bringing NAFTA into the future in a way that will equally benefit both our countries." Trudeau became the first foreign leader to address the annual governors' gathering. It was the culmination of a months-long Canadian strategy of reaching out to governors in 11 politically important states, to encourage them to speak up in defense of NAFTA. We will modernize NAFTA for the 21st century so that it is a win-win-win for all of our trading partners in North America. The prime minister said he was gratified by the response from various levels of government and urged more trade, not less: "We must get this right," Trudeau said. "Sometimes getting it right means refusing to take the politically-tempting shortcuts. More trade barriers, more local-content provisions, more preferential access for home-grown players in government procurement, for example, does not help working families over the long term, or even the mid-term. "Such policies kill growth."

Brian Snyder / Reuters Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and United States Vice President Mike Pence meet on the sidelines of the National Governors Association summer meeting in Providence, R.I. on July 17, 2017.