Canada's international trade minister said Thursday that pressure by US President-elect Donald Trump would not keep American firms from investing in Canada or prompt them to withdraw any investments already made. "The fact that Canada is now one of the countries in the world that supports an open society and open trade is a good reason to invest in Canada," Chrystia Freeland told a press conference.
"US businesses that have already made investments in Canada understand the intelligence and the quality of Canadian workers," she added. The minister's comments follow Trump's threats to slap General Motors, Ford and Toyota with import taxes for building automobiles in Mexico intended for the US market. Ford announced Tuesday it would cancel plans for a $1.6 billion plant in Mexico after coming under attack by Trump. Canada, the United States and Mexico have been linked since 1994 by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which Trump has said he would like to renegotiate. But Freeland stressed the unique nature of the two countries' economic interdependence.
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