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“But we will do that in line with the American process when it picks up again this fall.”

Ever-ticking political clocks in both countries mean U.S. lawmakers — with one eye towards Trump’s 2020 re-election bid — won’t be in a position to take even the most tentative steps forward on the deal before the start of Canada’s federal election campaign, which is set to begin by mid-September at the latest.

Canadians head to the polls on Oct. 21.

“I do not see that there will be a vote on the USMCA implementing bill by the U.S. Congress prior to the writ dropping for the Canadian election. The earliest that the USMCA implementing bill could be introduced is Sept. 9 and there likely will be committed hearings in both chambers of Congress on the matter,” said Dan Ujczo, the Ohio-based trade specialist with the firm Dickinson Wright.

A delay isn’t necessarily a bad thing, said Meredith Lilly, a Carleton University trade expert.

“The existing NAFTA, which remains in effect, is a better deal for Canada than the USMCA. So, the current situation is not a bad one for Canada, bearing in mind that ongoing uncertainty is generally negative for investment here.”

Trudeau reiterated his government’s position that the status quo is acceptable. “We of course benefit right now from the existing NAFTA that ensures that Canadians are well-served with good and reliable access to the North American market.”

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said his party shares key concerns of U.S. Democrats. Both parties want to strengthen labour enforcement provisions to ensure Mexico delivers on its promised reforms of workers’ rights, and they oppose the extension of patent protection for some new drugs from eight years to 10, which would delay the arrival of less costly generic products on the market.