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2005
Sunday Nov 6, 2005 rci MAR DEL PLATA: PRIME MINISTER LEAVES AMERICAS SUMMIT WITHOUT FREE-TRADE PACT Leaders from across the Americas on Saturday wrapped up their two-day summit in Mar del Plata, Argentina, without a consensus on the future of free trade in the hemisphere. The free-trade plan was strongly backed by Canada's Prime Minister Paul Martin and by U.S. President George W. Bush. But Venezuela and some other nations opposed it on grounds that it could exploit workers and the poor. Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez, strongly criticized the United States and Mr. Bush in particular at a mass rally on Friday. Large rallies were held against the free-trade idea, sometimes turning to violence. Rally organizers credited their efforts with helping to delay a decision on free trade. Mr. Bush and Mr. Chavez did not meet during the Summit. Brazil's president, Lula da Silva, said that further talks on lifting trade barriers must wait until after the World Trade Organization holds key negotiations in Hong Kong next month. Those talks will discuss a global treaty to slash tariffs and farm subsidies aimed at improving the world economy. In his speech to delegates on Friday, Prime Minister Martin argued that free trade could be a way to help impoverished people in the Americas achieve a better standard of living. He warned that the hemisphere is being eclipsed by economic growth in China and India. On Saturday, Mr. Martin said that he was encouraged that 29 of the hemisphere's 34 countries support open trade borders.
Friday Aug 12, 2005 ts Free-trade pacts can boost Toronto
Throughout the summer, my colleagues and I have been listening to Canadians who earn their living by bringing the best Canada has to the world. What we keep hearing is that regardless of the city you come from or the industry sector you work in, the future of our communities rely on jobs and opportunities that come from new and emerging markets.Wednesday Aug 3, 2005 usa today
Bush signs free trade pact
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush signed a hard-fought free trade pact with five Central American nations and the Dominican Republican on Tuesday, saying the measure would "advance peace and prosperity throughout the region."
"CAFTA is more than a trade bill," Bush said. He said the measure would help strengthen fragile young democracies in Latin America — and show those countries that the United States would stand by their side.Friday Apr 1, 2005 AMMAN: JORDAN CALLS FOR FREE-TRADE AGREEMENT WITH CANADA
The king of Jordan is calling for a free-trade agreement with Canada. King Abdullah made the proposal during talks in Amman with Canada's minister of housing and labour, Joseph Fontana. He's in Jordan to discuss Canadian investment and banking proposals for that country. Jordan was the first Arab country to sign free-trade agreements with the United States and with Singapore. Jordan also has a trade agreement with the European Union.Wednesday Mar 9, 2005 This may be a warning to Canadians.
It’s not just poor countries that find their sovereignty threatened by free trade. Patricia Ranald explains how the US-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) may torpedo Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme....The PBS has an advisory committee which compares the price and effectiveness of new drugs with the prices of similar generic medicines whose patents have expired. This ‘reference pricing’ works: the wholesale prices of common prescription medicines are three to ten times lower in Australia than in the US. For example, last year the wholesale price of 500 mg of the antibiotic Keflex (cephalexin) was $5.22 while the US price was $89.83. The wholesale price of 20 mg of Nolvadex (tamoxifen) used for breast cancer treatment was $51.36 in Australia but $150.74 in the US.1
... The US, prompted by drug companies, declared from the beginning of the recent free trade negotiations that ‘reference pricing’ was on the table.
...The drug companies want the right to use the courts to delay access to cheaper medicines as they have in the US. They also attacked an election promise by the Government to lower prices...Whatever the outcome, the deal confirms that the US model of free trade agreements limits the democratic right of peoples and governments to determine their own health and other social policies.
DMDec 29, 2004 globeWanted: new partners
Ottawa — Ottawa will move aggressively in 2005 to negotiate one-on-one trade deals abroad, scrambling to adjust to a new global order where Canada's preferential access to the U.S. market is eroding and where fast-growing emerging markets offer capital and cheap manufacturing opportunities for the taking
“We have absolutely no time to waste,” International Trade Minister Jim Peterson said in an interview. “With the world changing so quickly, we have to create opportunities for Canadian business anywhere those opportunities exist.”Wed 1180 Oct. 13th, 2004 for a talk on Free Trade
Trade Triangles Increasingly the Norm - July 21, 2004
International trade has traditionally been viewed as a bilateral affair – one country makes widgets, another country makes gadgets, and they trade with each other. People then ask whether one is benefiting more than the other from trade, usually based on the trade balance between them. see his wn page.
Monday 5 Jul 2004 rci HONDURAS: DELAY FOR TALKS ON CANADA FREE-TRADE AGREEMENT WITH CENTRAL AMERICA Canada and Central American countries were scheduled to start their latest round of free-trade talks this week, but the meeting will be delayed because of Canada's "inflexibility," according to a Honduran business leader. "Canada's position is inflexible. That's why Central America cannot do much about this," said Benjamin Bogran, executive director of Honduras's Private Business Council. The tenth round of talks were held in February in Ottawa. This week's talks were suspended because the agenda did not include changes made in the area of textiles and sugar, said Mr. Bogran. No date was given for resumption of talks. Central America abruptly broke off free-trade negotiations with Canada one year ago to focus on reaching a free-trade agreement with the United States. The United States conclude a free-trade deal with four Central American nations and the Dominican Republic, but the U.S. Congress still has to ratify it.
Saturday May 29, 2004 ts
U.S. signs free trade deal with 5 in Central America
WASHINGTON—The United States and five Central American countries have signed a free trade agreement that the administration of President George W. Bush hopes will lead to an even bigger, hemisphere-wide free trade deal by next year.Tuesday 30 Mar 2004 LET’S TALK EXPORTS (FORMERLY LET’S TALK RISK)
Stephen Poloz, EDC Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist, begins his annual cross-Canada tour in April. Join EDC and its local partners for this in-depth analysis of the world economy by sector and by country.
Tuesday 30 Mar 2004 A SMART EXPORTER IS AN ALERT EXPORTER
Export Alert! is a unique and customized e-mail notification service that helps users stay one step ahead of changing product requirements. Subscribers receive automated alerts notifying them of changes to regulations affecting their trade interests in global markets. Export Alert! gives users access to the complete text of the draft regulatory measures, as well as the opportunity to voice their concerns regarding the proposed changes. More...
March 2004 TRADE IN EVOLUTION: THE EMERGENCE OF INTEGRATIVE TRADE The article describes how trade has evolved beyond the traditional exporting and importing of goods, and has entered the next generation of trade – integrative trade. Integrative trade is driven by foreign investment and places greater weight on elements such as the integration of imports into exports, trade in services and sales from foreign affiliates established though foreign investment.
Similar to most subtle changes in paradigm, the public has been slow to perceive and grasp the emergence of the integrative trade concept. But rest assured, integrative trade is already here; and we are only beginning to appreciate the implications for how the global economy will operate in a different way. More pdf...
4. TRADEMAP/PRODUCT MAP CANADA
Canadian exporters and international trade professionals now have access to the world’s largest trade database, providing powerful new tools for facilitating strategic market research and trade development. Developed by the International Trade Centre in Geneva, a United Nations agency, TradeMap is an on-line database of trade statistics that provides detailed export and import profiles and trends for more than 5,300 products in 200 countries and territories. More..pdf.
2003
Friday Dec 26, 2003 ts
Free trade is having mixed results in Mexico Homes replace shacks in Anapra Jobs poured in — and then left .see w-nThursday Dec 18, 2003 UNITED STATES
The United States and four Central American nations have reached a tentative free trade accord. The four Central American countries are El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. The agreement struck in Washington came after negotiators reached a compromise concerning the U.S. sugar industry. A second compromise was negotiated by which the Americans agreed to allow the import of textiles containing Mexican and Canadian materials, provided the other parties agreed to accept more American products. The free trade accord still has to be approved by the U.S. Congress. The U.S. government has been seeking regional trade agreements since the international trade talks within the framework of the World Trade Organization collapsed in Cancun, Mexico, last September.Saturday Nov 1, 2003 NEW YORK, OTTAWA: NYC MAYOR JUMPS INTO PHARMACEUTICAL DRUG SQUABBLE
The mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, has called on U.S. manufacturers of pharmaceutical drugs to boycott Canadian drug firms until the Canadian government abandons its policy of regulating the prices of drugs. Mr. Bloomberg was reacting to the controversy caused by the growing numbers of Americans who are obtaining, often through the Internet, U.S.-made drugs from Canada. Such drugs are far cheaper in Canada because that country's government controls their prices. The Canadian government said earlier this week it too is concerned about the situation because the American drug purchases could cause shortages in Canada. The Canadian health minister, Anne McLellan, said on Thursday she would canvass pharmacists to find out if there is any cause for apprehension.Sunday Oct 5, 2003 TORONTO:
CANADA GETS EXEMPTION FROM NEW, TIGHTER U.S. BORDER ARRANGEMENTS The U.S. will exempt Canada from stricter rules which the Americans will start enforcing along the border early in 2005. The announcement was made in Toronto by the U.S. secretary of homeland security, Tom Ridge. The new policy will require travellers to identify themselves by means of fingerprints, eye scans or digital photographs. At present, Canadians visiting the U.S. on short trips are usually only asked a few questions at the border by U.S. customs officers. If Canadians truckers were subjected to more stringent and lengthy procedures, the result would be to slow down cross-border trade, as occurred in the weeks following the Sept. 11 attacks. The new border policy was mandated by the U.S. Congress. Mr. Ridge cautions that it's possible that Congress might require that the new border arrangements apply to Canadians as well.Sunday Oct 5, 2003 WASHINGTON: AMERICANS PENALIZE SOME CANADIAN WHEAT IMPORTS The United States has imposed export penalties on certain types of Canadian wheat. The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled that Canadian durum wheat is not being dumped on the U.S. market for less than it costs to produce. However, the commission said there should be duties of 14 per cent on shipments of hard red spring wheat. In August, the U.S. commerce department ruled that both kinds of wheat were being subsidized and dumped in the U.S. Canadian officials are unhappy with the decision and say they will fight back. Canada has the option of appealing the ruling under the North American Free Trade Agreement or the World Trade Organization
Wednesday Sep 24, 2003 OTTAWA:
FARM SUBSIDIES SAID TO THREATEN HEMISPHERIC FREE TRADE
Canada's trade minister says the contentious issue of agricultural subsidies could threaten the success of the attempt to negotiate an hemispheric free-trade accord. Pierre Pettigrew says that if some of the 34 countries involved in negotiating the creation of the Free Trade Area of the Americas, including Canada, insist on raising the issue, the chances of success will decrease because the U.S. won't agree to eliminate farm subsidies, unless the European Union does as well. Two weeks ago, trade talks within the framework of the World Trade Organization collapsed when a group of poor countries insisted the U.S. and the EU stop subsidizing their farmers. The talks at Cancun, Mexico, ended with little progress on any issues. Mr. Pettigrew says eventual progress on the farm subsidy issue within the WTO could facilitate the talks on hemispheric free trade. The minister says that despite the failure at Cancun, Canada is still committed to a multilateral trade accord at the WTO, while at the same time negotiating regional deals.Tuesday Sep 23, 2003 OTTAWA: NAFTA AGENCY WANTS SMOG EXPLANATION
An influential NAFTA agency is demanding answers about smog-causing pollution and toxins pouring out of coal-fired power plants in Ontario. The Commission for Environmental Co-operation wants to know why Ottawa has failed to curb the pollution. Critics say the pollution violates Canada's own laws. The agency's request comes in the midst of the Ontario general election. The Ontario Liberals and New Democrats have pledged to phase out the use of coal at the plants by 2007, while the Conservatives have set a target date of 2015. The federal government has the authority to force conversion of the plants but has not done so.Friday Aug 1, 2003 bbc
US widens free-trade deals The US Senate approves free-trade deals with Singapore and Chile, bringing to six the countries with such status.
The US Senate's backing for the two free-trade deals follows the approval of the bills in the House of Representatives last week.18 May, 2003 guagdian
"I was wrong: Free market trade policies hurt the poor"Column in The Guardian by Stephen Byers, M.P. and leader of the UK delegation to the 1999 WTO ministerial in Seattle. Byers presents his argument against unfettered free trade and in support of harnessing international trade to meet human development objectives.Tuesday May 6, 2003 rci MONTREAL: HEMISPHERIC FREE TRADE COULD BE DELAYED There's a possibility that the creation of a hemispheric free trade zone could be delayed. The Free Trade Agreement of the Americas was supposed to come into being in 2005. But the secretary-general of Organization of American States, César Gaviria, says countries including Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina are seeking wider access to the U.S. agricultural market. Mr. Gaviria says they're seeking to gain that broader access in negotiations at the World Trade Organization. The secretary-general of the OAS says the U.S. government is unlikely to make any concessions until the WTO negotiations are concluded. The hemispheric free trade area would be the world's biggest free trade zone, stretching from the U.S. state of Alaska to the southern tip of South America. The 34-nation grouping would exclude Cuba. Mr. Gaviria says he hopes a Canadian proposal to hold a special summit in Mexico to get the remaining issues solved will get the negotiations back on track. Mr. Gaviria made his remarks in Montreal at the ninth annual Montreal Conference. The world economy and its transformation since Sept. 11 is the broad theme of the conference.
Thursday Feb 20, 2003 rci PANAMA: CANADA WANTS BROADER FTAA Canada has proposed a wider application of economic sectors to which rules of an eventual Free Trade Area of the Americas would apply. Canada made that suggestion this week at negotiations in Panama. Thirty-three eventual member states of the hemisphere presented their initial proposals for the framework of a Free Trade Area of the Americas. Canada has recommended that it apply to agricultural and industrial products and that there be a wider market for the investment and service sectors. But Canada's trade minister, Pierre Pettigrew, wants health and social services and education excluded from the trade treaty's application
Sunday Feb 16, 2003 rci PANAMA: CANADA WANTS BROADER FTAA Canada has proposed a wider application of economic sectors to which rules of an eventual Free Trade Area of the Americas would apply. Canada made that suggestion this week at negotiations in Panama. Thirty-three eventual member states of the hemisphere presented their initial proposals for the framework of a Free Trade Area of the Americas. Canada has recommended that it apply to agricultural and industrial products and that there be a wider market for the investment and service sectors. But Canada's trade minister, Pierre Pettigrew, wants health and social services and education excluded from the trade treaty's application.
Friday Jan 24, 2003 OTTAWA: CHRÉTIEN PROPOSES MINI-SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS
On another matter, Mr. Chrétien has proposed a mini-summit of the Americas for next spring. He made the suggestion in a letter sent to the 33 other heads of government whose countries are committed to creating a hemispheric Free Trade Area of the Americas. The letter says that a mini-summit would be a good idea because of the social and political evolutions of several countries. The letter makes no mention of the situation in Venezuela. Mr. Chrétien also notes that several countries have changed government since the last full Summit of the Americas in Quebec City in Canada in April 2001. New governments have assumed power since then in Equator, Colombia, Peru, Argentina and Brazil. Brazil's new president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has expressed scepticism about the advisability of creating a Free Trade Area of the Americas. The next full Summit of the Americas is set for 2005 in Argentina.Monday Jan 13, 2003 ts
U.S. the world leader in bully-boy trading New move to box in Central America So why not buy at The Bay, not Gap?2002
Thursday Dec 19, 2002 MONTREAL: CANADA, EU TO DISCUSS VAST FREE-TRADE AREA Canada and the European Union are set to begin negotiations on a massive free-trade zone that would stretch across the Atlantic Ocean. Prime Minister Chrétien will sign a joint declaration in Ottawa on Thursday with the current president of the European Council, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark, and the president of the European Commission, Romano Prodi of Italy. That will take place during the semi-annual Canada-European summit conference and will lay the groundwork for a deal that's more comprehensive than a traditional free-trade agreement. Negotiations could begin late in 2004 before the World Trade Organization ends a round of talks in Doha, Qatar, on Jan. 1, 2005. Canada has been trying for years to start the talks with the EU, its second-largest trading partner after the U.S.
Saturday Nov 2, 2002 QUITO: TALKS ABOUT HEMISPHERIC FREE-TRADE AREA INCONCLUSIVE Canada's trade minister, Pierre Pettigrew, represented his country on Friday at negotiations in Quito, Ecuador, on the creation of a hemispheric free-trade area. Thirty-four countries are represented at the talks on the creation of a Free Trade Area of the Americas. The meeting in Quito is a follow-up to the hemispheric trade conference that took place last year in Quebec City. The delegates tried to devise a time frame for the plan to become a reality but apparently didn't succeed. Several Latin American officials complained that the U.S. isn't doing enough to open its own markets to imports. Venezuela's production minister, Ramon Rosales, claimed the U.S. has to make a greater effort to open up its markets, a development which he says would create jobs in Latin America. Business leaders from a number of Caribbean and smaller Latin American states demanded that the U.S. abolish its agricultural subsidies and import tariffs as part of any final agreement for hemispheric free trade. Canada is a strong supporter of the idea, saying it will create jobs and alleviate poverty. Those who oppose it worry that the economies of smaller countries will be overwhelmed by imports.
Monday Oct 28, 2002 CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO:
CANADA AT APEC SUMMIT Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chretien is in Mexico where he's attending the Asia-Pacific summit, known as APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation), which officially began on Saturday. Anti-terrorism measures are at the top of the meeting's agenda. American officials want a strong statement demanding North Korea dismantle its nuclear weapons program. The U.S. is also pushing for new measures to strengthen security in airports and at ocean ports and for stopping money flows to finance extremist groups. But the fight against terrorism comes at a price and Indonesia's leader, Megawati Sukarnoputri, criticized Canada for issuing a travel ban to Canadians planning to visit her country. Canadian and Russian leaders also warned the U.S. about attacking Iraq without a strong resolution from the United Nations. Russia will not accept any unilateral U.S. action against Iraq. Canada will not join an international coalition if it is organized outside U.N. auspices. Canada and 20 other Pacific Rim nations are members of APEC, including Japan, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, Chile, Peru and Mexico. APEC was formed in 1989 to promote trade in the Pacific Ocean basin. Its members account for 60 percent of world economic output and almost half of global trade.Friday Oct 25, 2002 OTTAWA:
CANADA FEARS OBSTACLES TO HEMISPHERIC FREE TRADE A high-ranking Canadian trade official in Ottawa says the idea of forming a Free Trade Area of the Americas is by no means a done deal. The official, who didn't want to be named, briefed reporters on the issue in Ottawa on Thursday. The official says one stumbling block is the issue of agriculture. He says Latin American countries want agriculture to be part of a hemispheric free trade zone. But the official says Canada and the U.S. want the question of agriculture to be a part of the multilateral trade negotiations within the framework of the World Trade Organizations. Canada wants the elimination of all agricultural subsidies, particularly those of the European Union and the U.S. All 34 nations of the northern and southern hemispheres are taking part in the negotiation of a Free Trade Area of the Americas except Cuba. The next ministerial meeting in the talks will take place in Quito, Ecuador, on Nov. 1.Saturday Sep 28, 2002 rci U.S.
Finance ministers of the 34 nations of the Western Hemisphere have reaffirmed their countries' support of establishing a hemispheric free trade area by 2005. Canada is representing at the meeting in Washington by Canada's finance minister, Mr. Manley. The host of the meeting, U.S. Treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neill, says the ministers promised their countries will complete negotiations to establish the Free Trade Zone of the Americas. He also says they promised not to turn away from free-market policies. The U.S. is concerned that the financial upheavals in Brazil and Argentina will induce them and some of their neighbours to renounce free-market economies. Mr. O'Neill also says the ministers devised an action plan to curb the financing of terrorism. On Saturday, the ministers will take part in the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.see Sept 11
Jan 7, 2002 cbc
NORTH AMERICA HEADED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER: REPORT
Free trade across North America is not only affecting the air, water and forests of the continent, but is creating a "looming threat" to the survival of certain plant and animal species, says a report from a NAFTA agency.
Saturday Jun 1, 2002 Cuban foothold for euro
Tourists visiting the Varadero beach resort are now free to spend in euros as Havana eyes Europe as a source of much-needed revenue.
Tuesday May 21, 2002 
Cuba condemns Bush over embargo
The Cuban authorities react angrily after President Bush refuses to lift the US trade embargo against Havana unless it enacts deep reforms.Friday May 24, 2002 ec One small step for free trade The American Senate has voted in favour of giving President George Bush authority to negotiate trade agreements with other countries, raising hopes of progress on liberalising world trade. But Mr Bush and America's trading partners still have plenty to worry about
May 8, 2002 -- MIAMI - Two South Florida members of Congress have asked President Bush to block Jimmy Carter's upcoming visit to Cuba, saying U.S. policy "does not authorize travel by former presidents seeking to appease anti-American dictators." Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Lincoln Diaz-Balart, both Republicans, wrote their letter in March, when news of Carter's proposed trip surfaced and before Monday's accusations by the Bush administration that the Fidel Castro regime was maintaining a biological-warfare program and possibly exporting bioweapons to other nations.
...Lehtinen also described Carter as "directly responsible for having brought to power the terrorist regime of the Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran."Jamaica Backs Cuba-Caribbean Trade
2001
4/Oct/2001 CELLUCCI SEES AUTOMATED BORDER WITH SECURE PERIMETER
While three Canadian premiers have vocally supported his calls for a continental security perimeter, the U.S. ambassador to Canada has some ideas about how cross-border trade could be speeded up.Tue 8/14/01 7 The next step has to be free trade within Canada
By: BRIAN KAPPLER Quebecers, Bernard Landry likes to remind us, are big free-traders. No country in the world, Pierre Pettigrew often notes, depends more than Canada on foreign trade. And the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement has lifted just about all boats. Canadian exports doubled between 1992 and 1998.
So why has total trade within Canada only limped along, showing just 4.7-per-cent annual growth in that period, while foreign trade grew by almost 12 per cent a year? What's wrong with this picture?Sat 8/11/01 2:04 PM Free trade in reverse
It's a sad commentary on U.S. President George W. Bush's supposed commitment to free trade that he has chosen to pick a fight with Canada over softwood lumber.
The Bush administration yesterday announced it will impose a temporary 19.3-per-cent penalty on Canadian softwood imports. The U.S. alleges that provincial governments unfairly subsidize the lumber industry in the form of low stumpage fees on crown lands.
Thu 5/24/01 Free trade begins at home
Here's the great irony in Canadian trade policy. While Canada supports a Free Trade Agreement of the Americas that would stretch from Alaska to Argentina, it's not even able to ensure free trade from Bonavista to Victoria. When it comes to protectionism, nobody does it better than our provincial governments.Wed 4/4/01 Cut a deal on softwood A negotiated solution between Canada and the United States may not be the most elegant or principled way of ending the softwood lumber dispute that threatens trade relations between the two countries. But cutting a deal looks like the only realistic alternative at this point. After the formal filing this week of charges by U.S. lumber interests that Canada is dumping and illegally subsidizing softwood exports, it's clear there is growing political support in Congress for penalizing Canadian lumber.
20/Feb/2001 18:41 Free trade a boon to poor? By: SHEILA McGOVERN Free trade will do more to enrich developing countries than the hordes of demonstrators who disrupt global economic gatherings, local businesspeople were told yesterday.
However, Claude Garcia, president of Canadian operations for Standard Life Assurance Co., told the Canadian Club of Montreal that he fears governments are reacting to the outcry.1999
Monday, June 07, 1999
Free trade's architects hail their own legacy
Terence Corcoran, Financial Post Editor
National PostFormer U.S. president George Bush has just arrived, and the hotel conference room full of 200 washed up politicians and free trade wonks is abuzz. Everybody's standing, applauding. It's an artificial buzz, though, mostly from the manufactured excitement that occurs during those few seconds of hype and confusion just before a flying wedge of secret service heavies ushers in former presidents of the world's most powerful nation. As the room settles down, L. Ian MacDonald, former Brian Mulroney speech writer, sets about introducing the head table, a high-powered collection of Montreal executives, former politicians, retired trade officials from three countries, and an old free trade hand, enthusiastically introduced by Mr. MacDonald as "the winner of 10 Stanley Cups, including two as general manager, Serge Savard!"
Huh? More buzz. Serge Savard! He looks good. And god he's big, nobody you'd like to be elbowing in a corner over a dispute settlement mechanism. He certainly would have been a helluva negotiator, which must be why he's up there, elbow-to-elbow with former U.S. trade rep Carla Hills, former Liberal minister Donald S. Macdonald, former Mexican trade minister Jaime Serra Puche, the 41st president of the United States, and other relics of free trade talks who have been brought to Montreal by Mr. Mulroney to participate in what was billed as the Free Trade @ 10 Conference.
Like much else associated with the two-day conference, which ended gloriously on Saturday with a vintage piece of Mulroney theatre, the Savard connection with free trade was a long off-side pass across two lines.
The former hockey great, a Mulroney buddy, is now a hotel and real estate operator around town, and one of his properties is the Chateau Champlain, where Mr. Bush spent the night. The Chateau is part of the Marriott chain, which recently bought the Renaissance hotel where the conference was held.
The presence of Mr. Savard lent glamour to the event, consistent with expectation. Everybody knew going into the conference that the official theme, the tenth anniversary of the Canada-U.S. free trade agreement, and the fifth anniversary of the NAFTA agreement with Mexico, was only a pretext. The real purpose was to position Mr. Mulroney as a pivotal figure whose strong leadership helped forge one of the great achievements of the century: North American free trade.
The anniversary of the trade agreements actually occurred last January, and many wondered why the celebration was being held six months late. During his closing address, Mr. Mulroney provided the answer: He said he left office six years ago this month. So it was really the sixth anniversary of the end of the Mulroney government. History may wait a little longer to enshrine Mr. Mulroney as a great Canadian prime minister, and this conference may have helped raise his standing.
Or maybe not. The conference was classic Mulroney, overblown and highly staged, filled with bizarre clashes and characters, inconsistencies and animosities, policy heavyweights and loose links. Something for everyone.
It was part reunion for most of the trade officials and politicians who negotiated the original free trade pacts, part replay of the old debates that divided the country a decade ago, part serious economic analysis, part blarney.
Even the corporate team brought in to give the conference the imprimatur of business was suspect: Jacques Menard of Hydro-Quebec, Charles Sirois of Teleglobe, Lynton Wilson of BCE, Lamar Durrett of Air Canada, Eric Molson of brewery fame.
All but Mr. Molson participated in sessions where they sang of the benefits of free trade and the great achievement of open markets. A great bunch of guys, to be sure, but all of them relics of the old Montreal economy, roosting atop Canadian legends of trade restriction and regulated monopoly that continue to benefit from assorted protections and barriers to investment. To this day, beer, air travel, telecommunications and electricity are sheltered from the full brunt of trade and competition.
Elsewhere, as the economic evidence supporting free trade piled up in tedious and repetitive detail, old battles erupted. Former Canadian trade negotiator Simon Reisman, his style unchanged from a decade ago, verbally attacked Canadian Auto Workers economist Jim Stanford, urging him to go back and do his research before spreading more ignorance.
In one session, before a sparse audience, perpetually hang-dog leftist Duncan Cameron railed against the "triumphalism" of the conference and called free trade a "total failure" and warned about Canada's lost power to control water exports. William Merkin, former U.S. trade negotiator, called Mr. Cameron's water concern a fabrication.
"It's in the free trade agreement," said Mr. Cameron. "But it's not in the free trade agreement," said Mr. Merkin. "I think the agreement will facilitate water exports."
By this point, it was clear that Mr. Cameron's anti-free trade position originates in some distant world divorced from the facts.
But the purpose of the conference was to use the free trade record as a foundation to establish that the Mulroney government had left behind a great economic and political legacy. In a bold juxtaposition in his closing performance, Mr. Mulroney claimed credit for a "trilogy" of policy moves -- free trade, the GST and a high-interest-rate monetary policy -- as the foundation for Canada's current economic well being. For many Canadians, that's an unholy trilogy. It was classic Mulroney. The man is brave. And over time, at least on those three issues, history will prove him right.
NAFTA conference: Higher interest rates, free trade and GST were 'trilogy' for growth
Campbell Clark
National PostMONTREAL - Brian Mulroney wrapped up a major policy speech and marched through the lobby of a Montreal hotel, surrounded by a crush of reporters thrusting tape recorders toward him.
George Bush, the former U.S. president, has a word with Brian Mulroney, Canada's former prime minister, on Saturday as they enter a luncheon at a conference marking the tenth anniversary of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
He suddenly veered left, and shook hands with Peter Nygard, a fashion magnate and an old friend. Mr. Nygard had patiently waited for a photo opportunity beside Anna Nicole Smith, the former centrefold and Mr. Nygard's new model, and now the cameras were clicking.
Six years after he left office, Brian Mulroney has once again seized the public stage.
A weekend conference to mark the tenth year of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and the fifth year of the North American Free Trade Agreement, convened by McGill University, was a Mulroney showcase.
After years of only sporadic forays onto the public stage, Mr. Mulroney closed the conference with a major speech that not only defended the free trade deals, but his entire record. Tired of vilification, Mr. Mulroney is campaigning for a better place in the history books and on the roster of retired leaders.
The three economic policies that sparked the most opposition during his tenure -- free trade, the GST, and high interest rates -- were "the trilogy" that set the stage for economic growth after he left office, the former prime minister said in his speech. History takes time to judge, he said, but real leaders have the courage to wait.
"Leaders must govern not for easy headlines in 10 days, but for a better Canada in 10 years.
"And they must be ready to endure the attacks and the opprobrium that often accompany profound or controversial change, while they await the distant and compelling sounds of a verdict that only history, and a more reflective nation, can render in the fullness of time."
Mr. Mulroney, however, is clearly not willing to wait forever.
The former prime minister's associates say he now intends to be more active on the public stage, trying to rebuff critics of his record and reputation.
"It means he's going to be less silent," said Luc Lavoie, Mr. Mulroney's former communications director, and still a close associate. "He's not going to let himself be attacked any more."
Mr. Lavoie said that does not mean he will engage more routinely in large platform events such as the weekend conference. Instead, Mr. Mulroney will simply respond to his critics on a more regular basis. The goal is obviously not to run for office again, Mr. Lavoie said, but to battle those who attack his record and reputation.
Unlike many former leaders, Mr. Mulroney's public image has not suffered a revival in the years since he left office. Many Canadians, especially outside his native Quebec, still regard him with vitriol.
In his early retirement years, Mr. Mulroney was largely silent.
In 1996, he came back to the public stage via the Airbus affair, winning a $1-million settlement of a defamation lawsuit against federal justice department officials who had written to Swiss authorities that they suspected Mr. Mulroney had received money for influencing aircraft contracts. Mr. Mulroney claimed vindication, then returned to his new life of company directorships and advisory boards.
In recent months, however, Mr. Mulroney's associates have become more active in defending their old boss in the news media, and in March, Mr. Mulroney tested the waters by granting a series of interviews to mark his 60th birthday. This weekend was Mr. Mulroney's real coming-out party.
The free trade conference, which included dozens of expert speakers from academia and government debating the merits of the FTA and NAFTA, was a triumphant review full of speakers who praised Mr. Mulroney's contribution.
Dr. Desmond Morton, a well-known McGill historian and the chairman of the conference, closed the conference by saying he would be happy if an improvement of Mr. Mulroney's reputation was the result.
"Being a historical revisionist is not, according to some people, a crime."
The idea that a conference on free trade -- once highly controversial but now accepted as part of the political landscape --Ê might help argue that Mr. Mulroney suffered criticism for policies that look better in hindsight, was not lost on the former prime minister's friends and supporters.
The event was the brainchild of Mr. Mulroney's former chief speechwriter, L. Ian MacDonald, who spearheaded its organization, and Mr. Morton said it never could have been organized without Mr. Mulroney and his "personal and corporate friends."
They were largely responsible for paying the $200,000 cost of the conference, as well as paying many costs for speakers, who were not paid a fee. Serge Savard, the former Montreal Canadians captain and general manager, provided a free room for George Bush, the former U.S. president, at his Chateau Champlain hotel, for example.
Mr. Bush, like many speakers, praised Mr. Mulroney. He cited the former prime minister's commitment to free trade, as well as his capacity as a leader: "I learned a lot from your prime minister."
When Mr. Mulroney took the podium, he not only recounted his government's drive for free trade, but defended its policies as a whole.
He said it was his government's commitment to free trade that secured Canadian access to foreign markets, allowing for an export boom after he left office. The GST, so widely disparaged, was needed to replace the 13.5% manufacturers' sales tax that would have penalized Canadian exporters, and high interest rates were needed to bring inflation down to provide stability for the future, he said.
Leaders who provide leadership that transforms their country know they have to spend political capital on their country's cause, he said, and prime ministers are not chosen to seek popularity, he argued. Former prime ministers, he might have added, don't want to be without it forever.
© 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003 by David T. Nicholson
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FreeTrade99jun.htm Tuesday, June 15, 1999
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