WASHINGTON — Conservative members of Congress are urging President Donald Trump to not sign the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement because of its protections for LGBTQ rights.
A coalition of 40 members of the House of Representatives has written to the president to demand that the language dealing with sexual orientation and gender identity be removed from the trade pact before the three countries sign it on Nov. 30.
The letter, released today, says a trade agreement is no place to adopt social policy and calls the language — a reflection of the federal Liberal government's commitment to progressive trade — an insult to U.S. sovereignty.
It also makes reference to recent media reports that indicate the U.S. Health Department is considering plans to redefine gender as an immutable biological condition determined by a person's sex organs at birth.
The agreement is expected to be the subject of a low-key signing ceremony when G20 nations gather in two weeks for annual meetings in Buenos Aires.
But the deal is already facing hurdles on the road to ratification, including the fact that Trump's controversial national-security tariffs on steel and aluminum are still in place.