Singh said his party won’t be rushed into supporting the deal

OTTAWA NDP leader Jagmeet Singh wants a thorough review and debate in Parliament of the new NAFTA agreement before deciding if the deal gets his partys support.
Singh met with his caucus Wednesday in Ottawa, in advance of the parliamentary session next week. The Liberals have indicated they will make the new Canada U.S. Mexico agreement (CUSMA) one of the first pieces of legislation when the House of Commons resumes sitting next week. 
Singh said his party wont be rushed into supporting the deal. 
We have seen the text and we want to make sure there is a thoughtful approach, he said. I want to make sure we are signing deals that are in the best interest of Canadians, particularly Canadian workers.
In a minority government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will need support from one of the other parties to get the agreement passed. U.S. and Mexican legislators have both passed the deal, leaving Canada the last country to ratify. 
Singh said he wants a committee review of the legislation and extensive debate in the house before the bill is voted on. 
We are not going to take Mr. Trudeau or the Liberals at face value. We want to make sure we are doing an exhaustive review.
Alberta premier Jason Kenney said on Twitter Wednesday that all MPs should work to pass the agreement quickly. 
A very big deal for Albertas economy, and we cant risk it being derailed by politics south of the border, Kenney said online. 
Federal Conservative leader Andrew Scheer has said he believes the deal could have been better for Canada, but has said previously his party will support it, because its so important to the economy. 
The new trade agreement was worked out in exhaustive negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trumps administration. It was then reworked when Trump needed the support of congressional Democrats to approve the deal. 
When the deal was first reached, Singh said the Liberals were already saying it was the best it could be. 
We were told by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government  that this was the best deal ever and then it turns out it wasnt. Then the Democrats, luckily, fixed it.
Singh also said he intends to push for a tax on digital companies, similar to those that have been imposed in countries like France. Those digital taxes, largely against American firms, have sparked Trump to threaten tariffs against those countries.
Singh said Canada cant make all of its decisions based on Trumps reactions. He said Canadian firms pay taxes here and tech giants should do the same. 
That just makes no sense at all. I believe in creating a level playing field, I dont think it is right to give an advantage or prioritize foreign companies over local companies.
rtumilty@postmedia.com
Twitter: @RyanTumilty