New NAFTA top priority as Parliament resumes Monday

The new North American trade deal is expected to take centre stage when Parliament returns Monday, marking the first challenge for a Liberal minority government that will need Opposition support to pass legislation.

The House of Commons reconvenes Monday after rising for the holidays in December, giving Canadians their first serious look at Canada's 43rd Parliament in action. 

Moving forward with the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) will likely dominate the agenda this week when the Liberals table a bill to approve the deal Wednesday. 

On Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland penned a letter to Opposition parties urging leaders to work together to pass the legislation behind the new agreement.

"I write to ask for your views and your support, as we, and our colleagues in the House of Commons, begin the vital task of debating the Canada-U.S.-Mexico-Agreement," Freeland said.

"No one, least of all the prime minister or me, expects anything other than a full, frank, and vigorous debate about the new NAFTA," she wrote. "That's exactly as it should be."...

This was excerpted from the 27 January 2020 edition of CBC News.