Canada's Trudeau to press Trump, Pelosi on trade pact ratification

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, keen to take advantage of improving ties with President Donald Trump, will on Thursday press U.S. political leaders on the need to quickly ratify a new North American trade pact. Mexico's Senate this week approved the new deal, known as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), and Trudeau says Canada is ready to follow suit. But the pact faces uncertainty in the U.S. Congress. Democratic lawmakers, who control the House of Representatives, are seeking tougher enforcement measures.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would have an "optimistic" message on the trade deal for Trudeau, who she is set to meet later on Thursday. "We’re hopeful ... we’re working in a positive way, optimistic, I’m hopeful," Pelosi told reporters. On Wednesday, she outlined several impediments to congressional approval.

Trudeau will meet Trump in the White House at noon EDT (1600 GMT) before heading to Capitol Hill for separate meetings with Pelosi and Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. "We will be stressing to them our belief that the treaty needs to be ratified as soon as possible," a Canadian government source said on condition of anonymity.

The USMCA, designed to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, is crucial to Mexico and Canada. Both send more than 75 percent of their goods exports to the United States. Relations between Trudeau and Trump have steadily improved since hitting a low point in June 2018 when the U.S. president called the Canadian leader weak and dishonest.

The two nations joined Mexico in signing the USMCA in November. Last month, the United States removed tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel. Trudeau will also seek Trump's support to press for the release of two Canadian citizens charged with espionage in China. They were detained after Canada arrested a Chinese telecommunications executive on a U.S. warrant in December.

Trump is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka. Trudeau has not had a formal meeting with Pelosi since she officially became the House speaker in early January.

"We want to relay our feeling that this is a stronger deal than it was before," the government source said. Pelosi, who is from California, may also give Trudeau some chocolate and wine to pay off a bet after the Toronto Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors for the NBA Championship.

In the latest chapter of a two-year campaign aimed at charming U.S. policymakers, Canada's ambassador to Washington threw a reception for Trudeau on Wednesday night. Attendees included Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. (Reporting by David Ljunggren and Roberta Rampton; additional reporting by Susan Cornwell Editing by Paul Simao and David Gregorio)