Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee.
Good afternoon.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to appear.
It's a great pleasure for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce to return to the Standing Committee on International Trade to provide further comments on the 2026 CUSMA joint review.
Today, I will split my time with my colleague Catherine Fortin-LeFaivre, the senior vice-president of international policy and global partnerships at the Canadian Chamber.
When the Canadian Chamber appeared last fall, we shared insights from our extensive member consultations on the CUSMA review, reflecting businesses of all sizes and sectors from across the country, plus numerous North American partner organizations with which we work. This important member and partner feedback formed the basis for our official submission on the CUSMA review to Global Affairs Canada, the United States Trade Representative and Mexico's Secretaría de Economía.
After a year of new tariffs and repeated trade disruptions, most firms are still adapting cautiously. While exports to non-U.S. markets are up by 17%, this is driven by existing exporters selling more, not by new firms entering global markets, which have only grown by 6%.
Most businesses are not fundamentally changing course. The most common response to market pressures remains raising prices or delaying decisions, rather than diversifying markets or supply chains, which takes time and investment.
In fact, CUSMA utilization is at a 20-year high, underscoring its importance. From the Canadian business community's perspective, the priority remains extending and enhancing North American competitiveness.
Therefore, our recommendations regarding the CUSMA joint review remain the same today and can be summarized in three key points: prioritize the continuity of the agreement and its existing key provisions; implement targeted measures to strengthen the agreement and enhance North American economic security; and strengthen North American economic integration by reducing or eliminating recently imposed tariffs within North America, such as the 232 tariffs.
The Canadian Chamber continues to reassert that, given the uniquely integrated nature of North American economic and commercial ties, our close proximity and extensive trade flows, Canada, the U.S. and Mexico share a common interest in CUSMA that strengthens North American economic growth, prosperity and competitiveness. Our counterparts in Mexico and the U.S. share this view.