Canadian negotiators continue to work toward a new NAFTA agreement. With steel and aluminum tariffs already in place, the ugly trade war continues to evolve. 

Souris-Moose Mountain MP Robert Kitchen recently spoke out with his thoughts on the NAFTA trade talks. Like many Canadians, Kitchen is hopeful a deal gets reached sooner rather than later. 

"I was kind of hoping that last week we would see it resolved. Now we're into another week. It's just going week after week, and we're looking at a last-minute dash to try and salvage this deal. It's going to have a big impact on my constituents, and all Canadians," Kitchen said.

"I've heard from a lot of constituents here on the issue, and in particular how tariffs are just having a huge impact. Their costs are going up and small businesses are having a hard time."

Kitchen wants to see the best possible outcome for not only businesses in his riding, but small businesses everywhere in Canada. 

"Canadian Conservatives, like all Canadians, want the best deal for their families and workers and businesses. That's the most important thing. Hopefully, we will see that come out of that. There are some big challenges that have happened and the delay has been there," he said. 

The three countries have been discussing re-working the 27-year-old trade agreement for months. The U.S. President Donald Trump recently agreed to a new trade deal with Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. 

Kitchen thinks this new deal between our southern neighbours puts Canada in a very tough spot.

"The U.S. initially their big concern was with Mexico. Canada did some things and put some things forward, which have led to the U.S. making an agreement with Mexico. That gives us a terrible bargaining position to be in because now we are having to either take it or leave it," he said. "I'm sure our negotiators are having to deal with a lot of those issues right now, and they're being challenged by that. It will have an impact if it goes wrong - I'm praying that it doesn't. I'm hoping we will see this with a proper outcome and getting it settled quickly, so the uncertainty isn't there."

The uncertainty Kitchen speaks of refers to the investors in Candian markets and the performance of the Canadian dollar. The loonie has hovered between 76 and 77 cents, compared to the greenback, for the last few months after it had reached 80 cents back in April. 

The MP says if investors shy away from Canada, it's bad news for the nation's economy. 

"It's just a big snowball. It's at the top of the hill and you're seeing that small little one," Kitchen said. "But as it starts to roll and gets to the bottom, it's going to be a mess."