Canada’s sports minister, Adam van Koeverden, has expressed confidence that hosting the World Cup this summer could be the key to agreeing a new trilateral trade deal with the United States and Mexico.
The three World Cup hosts are facing a deadline of 1 July for a mandatory review of the existing free trade agreement between the countries, the USMCA, and initial discussions have been problematic.
Donald Trump suspended formal discussions with Canada last October and has floated scrapping USMCA in favour of separate bilateral trade deals, but Canada and Mexico are both eager to renew the current agreement.
The US has since returned to the negotiating table with Canada and Mexico both eager to maintain the status quo of around 85% of trade with their neighbours being tariff free.
In an interview with the Guardian, van Koeverden said that informal talks during the World Cup could help smooth the path to a deal, as Trump, Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney are all due to attend matches.
As a former Olympian, van Koeverden has considerable personal experience of global sporting events. He won four Olympic medals for Canada in kayaking across three separate Games before entering politics.
“We see this as a great opportunity to bring not just our world together globally, but also Canada, Mexico and the United States on a trilateral basis as we renegotiate our trade terms,” Von Koeverden said. “Sport brings us together like nothing else, right?
“The last time that I saw [Sheinbaum, Trump and Carney] all together was at the Fifa draw in Washington DC, last December. So I anticipate very, very positive outcomes from this opportunity to showcase how well we cooperate.
“I was an athlete before I was a politician. I competed for Canada in kayaking at a bunch of Olympic Games. Getting to know people from other countries was the biggest gift that my sport provided me with.
“I think sport is a great nation builder and we’re looking forward to using our experiences through the Fifa tournament to build up our nation, and to solidify the relationships that we have with others.”
Canada’s World Cup preparations have run far smoother than those in the United States, with no apparent tensions between the host cities, federal government and Fifa.
Toronto and Vancouver will host 13 matches between them as well as running daily Fan Fests throughout the tournament, while the government is also funding 35 events in other towns and cities to ensure the World Cup is a truly national event. Van Koeverden encouraged European fans traveling to the World Cup to visit Canada.
In addition to his position as his country’s secretary of state for sport, van Koeverden has had a hands-on World Cup role since being given the bizarre title of Canada’s official Fifa Sherpa last year, working closely with Mexico’s Gabriela Cuevas Barron and the chair of US World Cup task force, Andrew Giuliani.
“The World Cup is, in Canada at least, entirely a coast-to-coast-to-coast initiative,” he said. “We’re hosting a Celebrate Canada tour across the entire country, and have activities as far north as Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, as far east as St John’s, Newfoundland, and as far west as Victoria, British Columbia. The World Cup will be a whole-of-country effort this summer, and we can’t wait for the first match [in Canada] to kick off on 12 June.
“Canada loves to host, and there’s something for everyone here. I would encourage more global soccer fans to visit Canada, particularly to our friends in Europe, as we’re building up our relationships with European economies and companies. Our events will be world-class and best in show.”
The Canadian government has forecast a $2bn boost to GDP from staging the World Cup, and has committed to investing $755m in a four-pronged legacy programme to boost participation.
“Sport is fundamental to our economy in Canada, and hosting the World Cup is a great way to demonstrate how powerful sport can be in creating jobs, creating opportunity, showcasing our great country to the rest of the world and growing our economy,” van Koeverden added.
“We anticipate a $2bn increase to our GDP as a result of this hosting effort. Obviously, some of that comes from tourism, people coming in, but it also creates quite a lot of domestic jobs in … Toronto and in Vancouver as well.
“It’s certainly the year of sport, and that’s one of the reasons why the federal government has invested $755m in sport over the next five years to emphasize what a strong impact it has on our economy.
“We’re investing this money across four pillars – play, perform, protect and host – and I believe that sport does a great job doing all four. It provides kids with opportunities, can make us all healthier, brings us together, and can showcase Canada across the world.”
