International trade and investment, deep integration
Beyond the obligatory niceties, next week's visit by George W. Bush will reveal little about the actual direction of Canada-U.S. relations. But it does provide an occasion to reflect on where we are going and what are our choices.
In my view, the most important question facing Canada over the next 10 years is: Can we continue to manoeuvre in the intricate dance with our superpower neighbour so as to preserve sufficient policy independence, or are we bound to follow a path of "deep integration," surrendering ever more policy autonomy in a slow-motion slide into American orbit?
While the principles of “fair trade” have been around for a long time, and are primarily based on ideas of human rights and economic justice, the fair trade movement is a relatively recent development. To a large degree, it is a response to the rapid growth in the global economy, in which more and more of what we consume is being produced in Third World countries, where labour and environmental standards are low or non-existent.
The public has become more aware of this issue as a result of some high-profile campaigns and stories in the media, e.g.:
This collection brings together research reports prepared for the Romanow Commission by a Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-led team of researchers to address different aspects of globalization and its consequences for the Canadian health care system.
The Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut have unique societies, economies and environments. Each requires a strong public sector to meet its special needs. Among others, these include social services, environmental regulations, jobs, and infrastructure.
OTTAWA--Public, not-for-profit delivery of new and expanded health services, together with clear national goals, will minimize the risk of trade challenges undermining Canada's health care system, concludes a new book released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
OTTAWA - Canada's three northern territories are even more vulnerable than the provinces to the impacts of international trade treaties signed by the federal government, warns a new book released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. The book is entitled Globalization and the North: Impacts of Trade Treaties on Canada's Northern Governments .
Anyone who has recently bought or leased a new car in Canada may find this warning in its Driver’s Manual: “In order to maintain good performance, fuel economy and emissions control, we strongly recommend the use of gasoline that does NOT contain manganese-based additives such as MMT. Use of gasoline with these additives may adversely affect performance and cause the malfunction indicator light on your instrument panel to come on.”
Public participation, transparency, and protecting the environment are terms not usually associated with free trade agreements. Yet, when Canada, the United S.tates and Mexico signed NAFTA a decade ago, they also created an environmental watchdog called the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) with exactly these features. The CEC included a public complaint process that could lead to investigations against any NAFTA country that was failing to enforce its environmental laws.