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By any measure, Canada has become one of the world’s most trade-dependent economies. Nowhere is that more evident than in agri-food, where millions of jobs and billions of dollars in investment depend on stable access to foreign markets.

CHARLEBOIS: On Canada Day, our biggest export is uncertainty Back to video

That is why this Canada Day carries unusual significance.

July 1 marks the formal review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), the single most important trade agreement for Canada’s food economy. Yet instead of celebrating a stable North American partnership, Canada enters the review facing uncertainty on virtually every front.

To the south, the United States has openly questioned the future of CUSMA. President Donald Trump has indicated that the agreement no longer serves American interests and has initiated the process that could ultimately lead to a U.S. withdrawal. Whether this is a negotiating strategy or a genuine policy is almost beside the point. Businesses invest based on certainty, not political theatre.

Canada’s strategy faces own test

What is perhaps more concerning is that Mexico appears to be further ahead in formal........

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