International trade and investment, deep integration
OTTAWA—Federal deregulation—euphemistically called “smart regulation”—poses a serious threat to public health and the environment, says a new report released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Claiming--without evidence--that “a clear majority” of lumber producers now support the Canada-US softwood lumber agreement, Prime Minister Harper says this is sufficient for his government to bring forward implementing legislation in Parliament, though it almost certainly falls far short of the original 95% support target.
Given the significance of this settlement--far beyond the commercial effects on a single industry--who won and who lost and what the implications are for Canada, are questions that bear close scrutiny.
Bruce Campbell's article in this issue explains how NAFTA—and its predecessor CUFTA—have worsened living standards and the quality of life for most Canadians. He buttresses his findings with incontrovertible facts and figures. In past issues of The Monitor, many other economists and analysts have made the same argument: NAFTA is a great deal for most Americans, but an economic bust for most Canadians.
The impact of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and the North American Free Trade Agreement should be measured against the only standard that ultimately counts when evaluating public policy: has “free trade” bettered the lives of the people affected by it?
Global civil society should not be lulled into complacency by gloomy media reports about the deadlock in the Doha Round negotiations. While agricultural and other important issues remain serious obstacles to a deal, negotiators continue to work non-stop in Geneva. The decision whether to close a deal is a political one that will be made, as in past rounds, by a small group of powerful governments.
Several prominent critics of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), including NDP leader Jack Layton, have proposed that its defects—including repeated U.S. refusals to honour its terms—can be corrected by renegotiating this treaty.
At a conference this week in Saint John, Atlantic Canada’s business elite will be promoting closer economic integration between Atlantic Canada and the New England states. The conference, "Reaching Atlantica: Business without Boundaries," hosted by the Atlantic Provinces Chambers of Commerce, will work on a strategy to develop a regional economy that minimizes the relevance of the U.S.-Canada border.
The prolonged dispute over the tariffs illicitly imposed on Canada’s softwood lumber exports by the United States has been distorted by a failure to examine the facts. Here are nine facts that are rarely, if ever, mentioned by politicians or the media.
Fact No. 1