Canada and the United States began negotiations Tuesday that will determine whether Canadians will sign up to a revised NAFTA deal that the United States and Mexico have already agreed to.

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After the brief conversation Tuesday evening, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland declared the meeting a success.

– Mexico’s efforts paved the way for productive negotiations with the United States this week, Freeland said after the meeting with American negotiators. It will not be until Wednesday that the parties will enter into the details of the agreement.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised earlier in the evening that he would only sign a trade deal that benefits Canada.

– We will engage in a positive manner and hope to eventually be able to sign an agreement as long as it is good for Canada and for the Canadian middle class, Trudeau said.

Trump’s initiative

It was American President Donald Trump who wanted to negotiate a revised trade agreement with Canada and Mexico because he believes that the NAFTA free trade agreement did not sufficiently take American interests into account.

In recent days, only Mexico has participated in negotiations with the United States, with Canada left out. After the United States and Mexico agreed to a preliminary deal on Monday, Canada was also invited.

Interrupted trip

Freeland had to cancel a trip to Europe when it became clear that Canada was wanted at the negotiating table.

The Trump administration has said it hopes to include Canada in the deal, but if the two countries do not agree, the United States is prepared to proceed without its northern neighbor. If so, tariffs will be imposed on Canadian car imports, according to Trump. However, it is unclear how the business community and congressional politicians will react.

Mexico and the United States have set a deadline until Friday to reach an agreement with Canada.