North American Freight Rail Associations Commemorate CUSMA Implementation
OTTAWA – As the Canada-United-States-Mexico trade agreement (CUSMA) officially becomes the governing statute for commerce across North America, Marc Brazeau, president and Chief Executive Officer of the Railway Association of Canada (RAC), Iker de Luisa Plazas, Director General of Asociacion Mexicana de Ferrocarriles (AMF) and Ian Jefferies, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads (AAR) issued the following statement:
“As the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) takes effect, competitiveness, growth and social wellbeing are expected. In this new stage of trilateral cooperation, freight rail plays a fundamental role, as it did for NAFTA, a period in which the sector became an integrated and unique service in the world.
The new agreement constitutes a message of confidence and stability for Mexico, Canada and the United States that will encourage railway companies to respond to the needs of an increasing volume of goods in the North American market.
In 2020 the railway industry has been an essential activity in the framework of the Covid-19 pandemic and its contribution is expected to be decisive for the reactivation of logistics chains and economic growth in the region.
Mexico, United States and Canada are intricately linked by companies that have a presence between them, which depend on a constant flow of raw materials and components to create and transport goods. Freight rail is the safest, most sustainable and most effective network for this purpose.”
About the Railway Association of Canada:
The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) represents close to 60 freight and passenger railway companies that move close to 88 million passengers and more than $328 billion worth of goods in Canada each year. The RAC advocates on behalf of its members and associate members to ensure that the rail sector remains globally competitive, sustainable and, most importantly, safe.
Media Contact:
Stéphanie Montreuil
613.564.8101
Director of Communications, Railway Association of Canada
http://www.railcan.ca
