Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assured unionized Canadian workers on Thursday they'll be getting a NAFTA deal they can be proud of.
Trudeau put a positive spin on the negotiations as he addressed the United Food and Commercial Workers Canada (UFCW) national council convention in Montreal.
"This modernization has been a long time coming and we're going to get a fair deal for Canadian workers," he told several hundred union members.
He repeated several times the agreement is in need of an update, and pointed out labour groups are "well-represented" on Canada's NAFTA council, which is led by Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Canada's priorities include increasing protection for workers and the environment, he said.
Trudeau's 15-minute address painted his government as a friend of the labour movement, citing measures including such as the new Canada child benefit, higher taxes on the wealthiest 1% and measures to help youth employment.
Trudeau also spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump Thursday, the White House later commenting, "The two leaders... discussed the ongoing NAFTA renegotiation and stressed their hope to reach an agreement by the end of this year."
