The U.S. government hopes to take the first formal step in renegotiating NAFTA within the next couple of weeks, setting the stage for actual negotiations with Canada and Mexico later this year. The Trump administration could officially advise Congress within two weeks of its intention to renegotiate the quarter-century-old agreement, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Friday. Could be slowed"The next stage will be — hopefully sometime in the next couple of weeks — issuing the 90-day (consultation) letter. That's what triggers the beginnings of the formal process itself. In Canada, the trade process is slightly less formal — guidelines require ministers to present memorandums to cabinet before trade talks, and the government consults industry stakeholders.

Source: CBC News March 10, 2017 18:41 UTC