TORONTO, Nov 21, (AP): The leader of Canada's most populous province said Wednesday that all of the country's provincial and territorial governments want Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's federal government to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the United States that excludes Mexico. Ontario Premier Doug Ford chaired a phone call with all 13 provincial and territorial premiers and said they want Trudeau to do a straight bilateral trade deal with the US, Canada's top trading partner.

The meeting and Ford's comments come as provincial and federal governments in Canada prepare for the uncertainty of another Donald Trump presidency. "There’s a clear consensus that everyone agrees that we need a bilateral trade deal with the U.S. and a separate bilateral trade deal with Mexico,” Ford told reporters in Toronto after the call with provincial leaders.

"We know Mexico’s is bringing in cheap Chinese parts, slapping made in Mexico stickers on, and shipping it up through the U.S. and Canada, causing American jobs to be lost and Canadian jobs. We want fair trade," he said. Ford said they've asked for a meeting with Trudeau's government to discuss the issue. Asked about the issue at her morning press briefing.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that Trudeau "does not agree with that” and that he wants to "maintain the treaty between the three countries and strengthen relations.” She said that during the bilateral meeting they held during the G20 summit, Mexico proposed drafting a document with concrete data on how the treaty benefits each of the three countries because there is a misconception that it only benefits Mexico or Canada.

But Trudeau's federal government did not rule out sidelining Mexico in future trade talks on Tuesday. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said she shares US concerns about Mexico serving as a back door for China to import cheaper goods into the North American market as a review of the trade pact known as the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement looms.