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Seade’s comments seemed to indicate otherwise.

To complicate matters further, however, he said in Spanish during the same news scrum that “Canada has to come aboard” to complete a revised NAFTA agreement.

Two American sources briefed on the talks said this week that Canada is likely to come under intense pressure to compromise when it does finally rejoin the negotiations — and is presented with a finished accord between the other two.

But Canadian officials said Wednesday they are not worried about the most recent developments.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said she was “very encouraged” by the progress made by the other two countries on bilateral issues, stressing that she has remained in close contact with both their trade teams.

“Canada is looking forward to join the negotiations and a swift conclusion to negotiations,” she told reporters in Nanaimo, B.C.

Formal trilateral talks involving all three parties to the North American Free Trade Agreement have not taken place since May.

Photo by Al Drago/Bloomberg

Mexico and the U.S. are now in their fifth straight week of two-way negotiations after, sources say, Canada tried to get an invitation but was rebuffed.

Little has been said publicly about the content of those talks, but Canadian officials and other sources suggested they have focused on U.S. demands around the automotive sector — issues of particular concern to the States and Mexico.

On Wednesday, Seade confirmed that the two nations have also been haggling over unquestionably trilateral issues, such as the American request for a sunset clause that would require NAFTA to be re-approved every five years.