Talks have started between Canada, US and Mexico federal government officials on the 23-year old North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and as expected US president Donald Trump gave a "furious anger" routine that would make Samuel L. Jackson proud in demanding sweeping changes.

Meanwhile, the Council of State Governments (CSG) Midwest, involving midwestern American states and Canadian provinces, had a different tone in addressing what they perceive as a need to finetune the agreement and preserve the trade enjoyed between the two nations.

The CSG Midwest reaffirmed their belief in the trade agrement and stood committed to modernizing the agreement in its Resolution on Open and Reciprocal Trade in North America.

Banff-Cochrane MLA Cam Westhead, who continues to serves the Alberta government on Canada-US Relations subcommittee of the council, said it was recognized the agreement should be modernized and not kiboshed. He was able to faciliate an informal breakfast meeting discussion on the issue while attending a July conference held in Des Moines, Iowa, July 9 to 12, and liked what he heard.

"The sense I got from the meeting was that there are modernizations that need to occur to NAFTA and some minor irritants that can be cleared up rather than scrapping the whole deal and starting over again," says Westhead. "By in large the agreement works very well but because it's an old agreement there are things like intellectual property and data and electronic communications that weren't very well contemplated in the original agreement."

He also points to inconsistent trucking legislation that causes turmoil and increases costs in transporting goods.

Westhead said the Alberta government is making sure they are active participants in the discussions.

"With the signals that the US federal government has made in terms of renegotiating that agreement, we want to make sure Alberta has a seat at the table talking to state legislators."

He says the trade between Canada and the US is relatively well-balanced and all three countries have been aided by the agreement. Under NAFTA, North American trade has tripled to $1.2 billion in 2016 from $340 billion in 1993.

"There's a lot of products that cross the border more than once. Every time they cross the border there's value-added jobs in Canada and US that depend upon open and free trade. So sitting down at the table and talking about what's at stake here, when you talk the language of jobs and economy, people get it and they know it's in everyone's best interest to keep that great relationship in place."

He believes we might be taking the strong trade and cultural relationship between Canada and the US for granted.

"The relationship we have with one another, not just in terms of culture, but in trade, is like nothing else in the world. So we have see what we have is of great advantage to both of us and we should nurture it. From time-to-time it will need some tweaks and updates and that's why we want to sit at the table with those folks and work it out."