Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed on Sunday that his country is ready to renegotiate the Canada-United States-Mexico Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) after former President Donald Trump pledged to reopen discussions on the agreement if he returns to the White House.

Trudeau said during a press conference in Laos at the end of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit this week, "His government will continue to defend Canadian workers and industries as it did during the tense negotiations with the Trump administration that led to the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, often referred to as the 'new NAFTA'. Trudeau stated, "We have been in this situation before."

He added that "Canada resisted the trend of countries shifting away from international free trade agreements towards more protectionist and isolationist economic strategies by successfully negotiating agreements with Europe and Asian partners, as well as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement."

U.S. presidential candidate Trump told the Detroit Economic Club last Thursday that he would invoke the six-year review clause in the agreement and would seek new protections for the American automotive industry from Chinese interests. Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris indicated that she intends to review the agreement.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement replaced the decades-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) when it came into effect in 2020 and is set for review in 2026. The three countries will have to confirm in writing whether they wish to extend or renegotiate the agreement.