Apparently, we have a NAFTA deal. Or “USMCA,” as Trump wants to call it, because that’s so much better. After a weekend of negotiations and a 10 PM emergency Cabinet meeting last night, everything was The “senior sources” are saying that dairy access will be around what was negotiated for the original TPP (or maybe a little more) along with eliminating the “Class 7” pricing, but we managed to keep the cultural exemptions and dispute resolution mechanisms, so that’s something. What we apparently didn’t get were any new guarantees around those steel and aluminium tariffs, so that’s less of a good thing. More details are due to be announced this morning, for what it’s worth.

Tonight, Canada and the United States reached an agreement, alongside Mexico, on a new and modern trade agreement, called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (#USMCA). Read the statement: https://t.co/vF8SFu50ao

— Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland) October 1, 2018

Here are details of the NAFTA agreement according to Trump officials. As always, we need to corroborate. pic.twitter.com/c9pHJVxLtV

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) October 1, 2018

Interesting. Here’s the TPP text related to milk access. The USMCA is identical to this. But, the USMCA applies to US originating milk. So, the USMCA is as if in the original TPP we gave double the access and reserved half for the US. pic.twitter.com/csiVGJ4STB

— Trevor Tombe (@trevortombe) October 1, 2018

And now for the Conservative shitposts to begin, and Michelle Rempel has offered us a taste of what’s to come. Because remember, they’re the “grown-ups” in the room.

Being barely able to escape alive isn’t a victory – it’s a signal to job creators that Canada is an uncertain and risky place to do business. But hey. It’s the best we could do, so yay? 🤷🏼‍♀️

— Michelle Rempel Garner (@MichelleRempel) October 1, 2018

Good reads:

• Chrystia Freeland postponed her planned UN General Assembly speech on Saturday for NAFT talks, and rescheduled for today, so we’ll see if that happens.
• Here is some more background information about Indigenous healing lodges, and that they’re still prisons.
• The Privacy Commissioner will be commencing a court reference over the “right to be forgotten.”
• Royal Dutch Shell and a consortium of other countries are expected to announce renewed investment in LNG projects in BC.
• Following the tornadoes that hit Ottawa, here’s a look at how mobile phone networks are vulnerable because of short battery backups on towers.
• Here’s a look at how different police services will react to legal cannabis for their officers’ recreational use. Only Calgary has an abstinence policy.
• Five Eyes partners want backdoor access to software encryption, which is going to have giant probels.
• Her Excellency Julie Payette gave another interview over the weekend and dismissed rumours she is planning to quit the post. (Transcript here).
• Andrew Scheer did a round of media where he insisted he’d do all kinds of things differently than the government…but wouldn’t say how.
• It’s been a year since Jagmeet Singh was made NDP leader, and he insists he’s looking forward to overcoming these challenges.
• The NDP’s latest fundraising effort involves “matching” small donations with those from larger donors. No, I’m not entirely sure it makes sense either.
• Robert Hiltz expresses his exasperation with how the Quebec election played out.
• My weekend column looked at how the exercise of “soft power” within the Senate has been changing, and maybe not all for the better.

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