Canada approves North American trade deal, suspends parliament over coronavirus

Canadian lawmakers hastily approved a North American free trade deal Friday before announcing parliament would be suspended until late April over concerns about the new coronavirus.

Lawmakers cut short debate to move to a vote on the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement - known in the United States as USMCA - which was unanimously approved. Shortly afterward, the Senate also approved the pact in a fast-tracked vote, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told a news conference in Ottawa, calling its approval by both the lower and upper houses of parliament "a positive milestone for Canada."

Already approved by the US and Mexico, the trade deal will now only need the signature of Governor General Julie Payette, the representative in Canada of Queen Elizabeth II, to be fully ratified.

The pact replaces the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and binds nearly half a billion consumers in a single market.