Name: The New Dynamics of North American Trade: The Review of USMCA 2026
Start: 1774530000
End: 1774552500
Location: James A. Baker III Hall

In 2025, government tensions upended economic relations among the United States, Canada, and Mexico. With dramatic shifts in trade policies, including tariffs, supply chain pressures, and competing political priorities, North America’s economic future is unclear. As the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) approaches its scheduled joint review this July, policymakers, industry leaders, legal experts, and academics face a pivotal moment to evaluate the agreement’s performance and chart its future course.

The Claudio X. González Center for the United States and Mexico at Rice University’s Baker Institute presented “The New Dynamics of North American Trade: The Review of USMCA 2026.” This event featured keynote speakers and panel discussions to analyze the outlook of the North American trade agreement. Potential changes to the agreement were examined, as well as areas for improvement to make the region more competitive in a rapidly evolving global economy. Through these in-depth panel discussions, participants assessed challenges, identified priorities, and developed recommendations that can inform the upcoming review of the USMCA. What Washington, D.C., Mexico City, and Ottawa decide on the future of the USMCA will have an impact on economic integration and trade flows not just in North America, but the entire world. Thanks for joining us to help shape the next chapter of trilateral cooperation and economic integration in North America.

This event was free and open to the public.

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Agenda

8:00 am	Breakfast and Networking
8:30 am	Welcome Remarks Tony Payan, Ph.D. Claudio X. Gonzalez Fellow in U.S.-Mexico Studies, Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies, Director, Claudio X. González Center for the U.S. and Mexico, Baker Institute for Public Policy
8:35 am	Keynote Speaker — Economic Integration of North America Ambassador Katherine Tai Resident Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics; 19th United States Trade Representative
9:00 am	Q&A Session
9:20 am	Break and Networking
9:35 am	Roundtable I — Evaluating the Performance of the USMCA The USMCA was touted as an important set of improvements to the outdated NAFTA. There were key changes to the trade and investment dispute settlement provisions, rules for autos, labor rights protections, agricultural market access, relations with non-market countries, digital trade, energy, and review of the agreement, among other things. This panel will discuss how the USMCA has worked out in practice. Were its goals achieved? Going into the six-year review, is the USMCA on firmer political footing than NAFTA was? Do economic relations between the North American countries need further tweaking? Moderated by: David Gantz, Will Clayton Fellow in Trade and International Economics, Baker Institute for Public Policy Jorge Miranda, Ph.D. Trade Economic Advisor, BlankRome Meredith Lilly, Ph.D. Professor, Simon Reisman Chair in International Economic Policy, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University John R. Magnus President, TradeWins Nasim Fussell Vice President of Trade and International, Business Roundtable
10:35 am	Q&A Session
10:55 am	Break and Networking
11:10 am	Roundtable II — Navigating the Future of the USMCA This panel explores the central issues at stake during the review and likely revision of the United States-Mexico-Canada trade accord. The panel will discuss a variety of pertinent themes, including the geostrategic context of the review/revision of the accord, the specific issues and demands that each country is likely to bring to the table, and the likely outcomes for each of them. It will also deal with the prospects of a reviewed/revised agreement for regional trade and trade between the region and other blocks around the world, with a special emphasis on emerging technologies and industries. Moderated by: Simon Lester, Nonresident Fellow, Baker Institute International Economics Program; Co-founder, WorldTradeLaw.net and China Trade Monitor Ricardo Reyes-Heroles, Ph.D. Principal Research Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Inu Manak, Ph.D. Senior Fellow for International Trade, Council on Foreign Relations Kathleen Claussen Professor of Law, Anne Fleming Research Professor, Georgetown University Christopher Sands, Ph.D. Director, Center for Canadian Studies, Johns Hopkins University
12:10 pm	Q&A Session
12:30 pm	Lunch
1:00 pm	Conversation on the Dynamics of the USMCA Renegotiations Moderated by: Tony Payan, Ph.D., Claudio X. Gonzalez Fellow in U.S.-Mexico Studies, Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies, Director, Claudio X. González Center for the U.S. and Mexico, Baker Institute for Public Policy Ildefonso Guajardo President, Consultores Internacionales ANSLEY; Former Secretary of the Economy, Mexico
1:35 pm	Q&A Session
1:50 pm	Closing Remarks