Nafta’s Red Tape Fight Hits a Snag
From: Bloomberg
By Josh Wingrove and Eric Martin
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Canada proposes adding cooperation council into trade pact
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Observers say that may backfire with shift of powers to USTR
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Canada wants to roll the existing U.S.-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council into the North American Free Trade Agreement, a pact Donald Trump is threatening to quit. Advocates of the Canadian proposal liked the idea of entrenching stronger harmonization of rules on things like food safety and drones while also adding Mexico into the mix — and doing so would also boost another Trump goal of cutting red tape for businesses.
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In the U.S., RCC efforts are currently led by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, or OIRA, which is a division of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, or OMB.
