Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday set aside the nation's nonpartisan efforts to defend NAFTA, accusing his main rivals in Parliament of wanting to give in to hard-line US demands for revamping the treaty. Officials from the United States, Canada and Mexico will wrap up the sixth of seven planned rounds of talks on the North American Free Trade Agreement in Montreal on Monday, with little sign of agreement on US proposals to overhaul the $1.2 trillion pact.

Opinion polls show Trudeau's Liberals are still in the lead ahead of an October 2019 election, but the right-of-center Conservatives are narrowing the gap. The House of Commons lower chamber of Parliament resumes on Monday after a winter break. Trudeau told a televised meeting of Liberal legislators in Ottawa that the government was working hard to get a better NAFTA deal and took a swipe at the Conservatives, who have generally backed his approach.

"If they had their way, we'd give in to American demands on NAFTA," he said. "We have a different way of doing things. We will always stand up for Canadians." Representatives for the Conservatives were not immediately available for comment.

A Canadian government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Trudeau was pressing for trade deals to have progressive elements such as protection of women's and indigenous rights. The Conservatives oppose that idea, the official added.

Copyright Reuters, 2018