2008

Latest : McCain and Canada  
U.S. Sen. John McCain is calling for stronger NAFTA ties, including harmonized energy policies.

Thursday 05 June 2008 GUANAJUATO: QUEBEC PREMIER WORRIES ABOUT FATE OF TRADE PACT
Quebec Premier Jean Charest says he worries that a wave of protectionism among American politicians will endanger the survival of the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, adding that he intends to lobby the next American president in favour of NAFTA. Mr. Charest spoke in Guanajuato, Mexico, at a conference hosted by North America's SuperCorridor Coalition, a non-profit group devoted to increasing trade within North America. The Democratic Party presidential candidat, Barack Obama, has vowed to renegotiate better labour and environmental guarantees if elected. Mr. Charest says several U.S. governors are stirring up anti-NAFTA sentiment, including those of Pennsylvania and Ohio, where numerous manufacturing jobs have been lost. Manitoba Premier Gary also is attending the event but says NAFTA can be defended without resorting to "negative speeches."

Saturday 24 May 2008 NAFTA & U.S. election - Update on NAFTAgate
Report exonerates Brodie over memo leak but confirms chat likely led to NAFTA furor
(Toronto Star) OTTAWA–An investigation of a leak from Stephen Harper’s office that hurt U.S. Senator Barack Obama’s political hopes confirms that the affair probably arose from comments by the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Ian Brodie

Friday May 23, 2008 Former ambassador sees NAFTA trouble
American politics still runs fast in the veins of Raymond Chrétien, the former Canadian ambassador to the United States ...

Friday 16 May 2008 WASHINGTON: FORMER MEXICAN PRESIDENT WARNS AGAINST REOPENING NAFTA
Former Mexican President Carlos Salinas warned that there's a misperception that is would be opportune to reopen the North American Free Trade Agreement between his country, the U.S. and Canada when in fact such an eventuality would lead to its cancellation. Mr. Salinas was in office when NAFTA was agreed in 1994. In remarks to the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, he compared reopening the accord to "a Pandora's box" of special interests seeking to have the deal skewed in their favour. The former president says the agreement has benefited all three trade partners by eliminating costly tariffs and encouraging cross-border investment. The two Democratic Party presidential candidates, Sens. Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton, have stated that if elected they would negotiate stronger environmental and labour protections within the framework of NAFTA. The event was also attended by the deputy head of mission at the Canadian embassy. Guy Saint-Jacques told the Reuters news agency that under NAFTA Canada has to share its resources with the U.S., which has turned out of advantage to the Americans with regard to energy security.

Thursday Apr 24, 2008 Free-trade pact will survive, U.S. ambassador says
The U.S. ambassador to Canada predicts the North American Free Trade Agreement will survive the election...
David Wilkins says such hustings talk should be taken with a grain of salt. "Often times, rhetoric on the campaign trail is not the policy that you adopt when you are the leader," he said yesterday.

Wednesday 23 April 2008 NEW ORLEANS: HARPER, BUSH SUPPORT FREE-TRADE DEAL
The North America Free Trade Agreement received praise on Tuesday at the end of the fourth annual trilateral summit between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Speaking at the end of the two-day event, Mr. Harper said that expansion of trade is the greatest opportunity for economic growth of the three nations. However, the prime minister says that congestion at the U.S.-Canada border due in part to security screening is an issue that has troubled the business community in recent years. Mr. Harper also noted that Canada provides the U.S. with a secure and stable source of energy at a time of soaring international oil prices. The prime minister's remarks coincide with weeks during which the two Democratic Party presidential candidates, Sens. Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton, have said that if elected they'll demand the negotiation of stronger labour and environmental protections within the NAFTA framework. Mr. Bush also defended the free-trade accord, saying that the focus should be on making NAFTA more effective and reducing trade barriers worldwide.

Tuesday 22 April 2008 NEW ORLEANS: HARPER, BUSH PRAISE EACH OTHER
Monday was the first day of the two days of the fourth annual Security and Prosperity Partner involving the Canadian, American and Mexican leaders. Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper had separate meetings with U.S. President George W. Bush and his Mexican counterpart Felipe Calderon before the three sat down to a working dinner. Mr. Harper says he discussed the NATO mission in Afghanistan with Mr. Bush. Mr. Harper says that although he and his host haven't agreed on everything, he has appreciated the frankness of their exchanges. The two leaders will meet one final time at the G8 summit later in the year in Japan before Mr. Bush completes his second term in office. For his part, Mr. Bush thanked Mr. Harper for his "strong and effective leadership" at the NATO summit earlier in the month in Romania. The president also gave his endorsement to the 14-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement. The two Democratic Party presidential candidates, Sens. Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton have vowed if elected to renegotiate stronger environmental and labour protections with the NAFTA framework or withdraw from it if they prove impossible to obtain.

Monday 21 April 2008 OTTAWA: PRIME MINISTER PREPARES FOR NORTH AMERICA SUMMIT
Prime Minister Stephen Harper will meet with U.S. President George W. Bush and Mexico's president Felipe Calderon at a two-day summit in New Orleans on Monday. It's the fourth annual North American summit. Only President Bush has attended them all. The latest summit comes as the North American Free Trade Agreement has become an issue in the U.S. election campaign. Both Democratic Party candidates, Senators Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton, have said that, if elected, they would withdraw the United States from NAFTA unless better environmental and labour protections were negotiated. Annual trilateral trade has tripled to one trillion dollars since 1994, when NAFTA was signed. Canada's Conservative Party government strongly opposes renegotiating the accord. Canadian government officials have been noncommittal when asked whether a resounding vote of confidence in the trade deal will be voiced in New Orleans. But the Bush administration has loudly proclaimed that the summit will be used to promote the benefits of NAFTA. Among the possible topics to be discussed is how to achieve common regulations in the auto sector. U.S. officials also want to improve the Windsor-Detroit border crossing that handles a quarter of all Canada-U.S. trade over a four-lane bridge that was built in 1929. Energy supply will also be on the agenda. Canada is the largest energy supplier to the United States.

Sunday Apr 20, 2008 Attacks on free trade are crowd-pleasers
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama continue to criss-cross Pennsylvania, which holds its primary Tuesday, each claiming to hate free trade more than the other. Should Canadians - not to mention Mexicans - feel alarmed, or just discouraged?

Saturday 19 April 2008 WASHINGTON: U.S. GOVT. WILL DEFEND NAFTA
The White House says it is looking for arguments to defend the North American Free Trade Agreement, which has become a major issue in the current presidential campaign. Both Democratic Party candidates, Sens. Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton, have said that if elected they would withdraw from NAFTA unless better environmental and labour protections were negotiated. Dan Fisk, the senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs, says the leaders of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico will discuss the issue when they meet next week for their fourth annual trilateral summit. Mr. Fisk says the government will seek ways to convince the American people that NAFTA is a good deal because trade between the three neighbours has tripled to $1 trillion since 1994. Canada's governing Conservative Party is strongly opposed to reopening the accord and some commentators have suggested that in the event of a renegotiation the favourable access for the U.S. to Canada's oil and natural gas should be placed on the table.

Saturday Apr 19, 2008 Report calls for enhanced NAFTA
With anti-NAFTA rhetoric swirling south of the border, 30 top business leaders from Canada, the United...

Wednesday 09 April 2008 WASHINGTON: NORTH AMERICAN FMs MEET
Canadian Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier met with his U.S. and Mexican counterparts, Condoleezza Rice and Patricia Espinosa, in Washington on Tuesday. They discussed security and trade issues in preparation for summit which will be hosted by U.S. President George W. Bush in New Orleans on April 21-22. Miss Rice says they talked about the importance of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the ways in which it has benefited all three countries. The two Democratic Party presidential candidates, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama, have pledged if elected to reopen NAFTA to demand better labour and environmental protections. Miss Rice outlined Mr. Bush's efforts to persuade the U.S. Congress to approve the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, while Mr. Bernier said the Canadian government hopes to reach a free-trade accord with that country in a few months.

Wednesday Mar 5, 2008 'Senator Hothead' carries scars of battle and politics
Polls put Republican Party nominee in good position against either Democrat

NAFTA squabble in primaries shows the new power of YouTube
It's one of those stories where, quite literally, you need to roll the videotape. More to the point, it's a story that demonstrates the power of new media platforms on the Internet.

Tuesday 04 March 2008 REGINA: PREMIER TO DISCUSS NAFTA WARNING DURING U.S. VISIT
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall says he will warn Americans against reopening the North America Free Trade Agreement when he visits Washington this week. He was reacting to last week's statements by the two Democratic Party presidential candidates, Sens. Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton, that if elected they would reopen NAFTA to obtain better environmental and labour guarantees. The candidates also pledged to invoke NAFTA's six-month termination clause if the accord with Canada and Mexico isn't renegotiated. Mr. Wall says he'll remind American legislators that Canada is a primary supplier of "secure and conflict-free" energy to the U.S. Among the officials whom the premier will meet is Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman.

Monday Mar 3, 2008 Don't worry too much about the U.S. blowing up NAFTA
In the U.S. presidential primary battles in Ohio and Texas, both Democratic contenders committed themselves to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. Senator Hillary Clinton went on to explain that she would invoke the six-month termination clause to provide leverage to reopen the agreement and renegotiate its terms to favour the United States, and Senator Barack Obama concurred.

Friday Feb 29, 2008 NAFTA's under threat. Why doesn't the opposition care?

Both Clinton and Obama have been taking rhetorical swipes at NAFTA for months

WASHINGTON: BUSH CRITICIZES DEMOCRATIC NAFTA CRITICS
U.S. President George W. Bush has attacked the two Democratic Party presidential candidates for having said that if elected they would renegotiate the North American Free Trade Accord with Canada and Mexico. Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama said they would tell Canada and Mexico that the U.S. would abandon NAFTA unless labour and environmental standards aren't renegotiated. Mr. Bush said that NAFTA is contributing to more and better-paying jobs for Americans. The president also says that such talk is sending the wrong message to "people who have in good faith signed a treaty and worked with us on a treaty." Canadian Trade Minister David Emerson said on Wednesday that the two candidates must realize that in the event of a renegotiation Canada also would have a list of concessions and that Canada is the largest supplier of energy to the U.S. Canadian critics of NAFTA dislike the provision in the accord that forbids Canada to cut off oil supplies to the U.S. if there's a worldwide shortage unless supplies to Canada's own consumers are similarly curtailed. Mr. Emerson says the current U.S. economic problems aren't due to NAFTA but rather to the subprime mortgage crisis and from growing competition from Asia, particularly from China.

OTTAWA: PM WEIGHS IN ON NAFTA
There has also been reaction from Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who repeated warnings from two cabinet ministers that Canada's oil wealth would be put on the negotiating table if the 15-year-old accord were to be renegotiated. The prime minister told the House of Commons that Canada "would have a few issues to discuss" but that he doubts a new American president would take such a step. New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton urged Mr. Harper to take advantage of a reopening to negotiate better labour and environmental standards.

Thursday Feb 28, 2008 U.S. anti-NAFTA rumblings worry minister
Federal Trade Minister David Emerson says threats by two Democratic presidential contenders to pull ...

OTTAWA: NAFTA AT ISSUE IN U.S. PRESIDENTIAL RACE
Canadian Trade Minister David Emerson says that the two Democratic Party presidential candidates may not realize that the U.S. profits from the North American Free Trade Accord. Mr. Emerson was reacting to the televised debate on Tuesday evening between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama, both of whom said they would renegotiate NAFTA if elected. Both senators said they would tell Canada and Mexico that the U.S. would abandon NAFTA unless labour and environmental standards aren't renegotiated. But Mr. Emerson says the candidates must realize that in the event of a renegotiation Canada also would have a list of concessions and that Canada is the largest supplier of energy to the U.S. Canadian critics of NAFTA dislike the provision in the accord that forbids Canada to cut off oil supplies to the U.S. if there's a worldwide shortage unless supplies to Canada's own consumers are similarly curtailed. Mr. Emerson says the current U.S. economic problems aren't due to NAFTA but rather to the subprime mortgage crisis and from growing competition from Asia, particularly from China.

Monday 11 February 2008 Nafta Is a Sweet Deal, So Why Are They So Sour?
The Mexican government must revamp its own system of supports that now favor mainly big farmers, and provide small farmers with access to credit and know-how.

2007

Tuesday 09 October 2007 EDMONTON: U.S. LABEL PLAN DENOUNCED
Canadian beef and pork producers have urged the federal government to lobby vigorously to head off a U.S. plan to impose labels which specify where meat products come from as well as tracking rules for them. The Canadian Cattlemen's Association and the Canadian Pork Council say the law would cost them $500 million a year. The lobbies say the law will be a violation of the rules of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the World Trade Organization. The law would oblige American importers of Canadian pigs and cattle to slaughter them separately and to label the products "from Canada and the United States." The Canadian producers say they fear that American slaughterhouses and supermarkets won't want the extra trouble and cost of doing so. The Canadian government has said in a formal submission to Washington that the proposal will undo 18 years of free trade under NAFTA, and that the impending law "is clearly discriminatory, costly and backwards."

Wednesday 15 August 2007 VANCOUVER: NAFTA TALKS CONCLUDE
The Canadian, American and Mexican trade ministers have concluded two days of talks about the state of health of the North American Free Trade Accord. David Emerson, Susan Schwab and Eduardo Sojo Garza-Adalpe represented Canada, the U.S. and Mexico respectively. Mr. Emerson said afterwards that the accord is essential to guarantee Canada's competitivity and that the government wants to take advantage of its success by ensuring that it remains relevant. Since NAFTA went into effect in 1994, trade volume between the three parties has doubled to $958 billion last year. The three ministers agreed to study new ways to make their countries' mutual trade even more profitable. The meeting concluded only four days from the North American summit at Montebello, QC. Despite the apparently cordial meeting, Mrs. Schwab, the U.S. trade representative, says she was disappointed at having to initiate the arbitration process to resolve alleged violations by Canada of the softwood lumber agreement worked out only 10 months ago but that the U.S. remains committed to the implementation of the accord that ended years of litigation. The U.S. claims that Ontario and Quebec are subsidizing their forestry firms and that lumber from B.C. and Alberta isn't being properly taxed at the border.

Wednesday 25 July 2007 NAFTA PARTNERS SIGN ENERGY DEAL
The energy ministers of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico on Monday signed their first energy innovation agreement in Victoria, BD. Canada's Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn describes the accord as one of the most important energy agreement every reached among the North American states. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman and Mexico Secretary of Energy Georgina Kessel signed for their countries. Mr. Bodman noted that Canada and Mexico and the first and second energy supplies to his country

OTTAWA: FORMER CIVIL SERVANT PLEADS GUILTY IN FRAUD CASE
A former defence department official has pleaded guilty to one count of fraud and another of breach of trust in a case in which the department was cheated out of $146 million. Paul Champagne had been an $80,000-a-year contract manager. The government dropped five other charges after he pleaded guilty to the two. The fraud involved contracts with the American computer giant Hewlett-Packard. In May 2004, the company repaid $145 million to the Canadian government. Champagne will be sentenced in January.

Thursday 07 June 2007 First free-trade deal in 6 years expected11
Ottawa preparing to announce successful conclusion of talks with European Free Trade Association and commence similar negotiations with Peru and Colombia

Stephen S. Poloz VP EDC Economics Weekly Commentary
ExportWise - Fall 2006 - NAFTA Rules of Origin catching up with the times
America's fiscal and trade deficits are frequently cited as the most pressing macroeconomic issues facing the world economy today. Fortunately, neither is as dangerous as the alarmists make out. Past issues | his WN page

Sunday Jun 4, 2006 rci U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins says the recently negotiated tentative agreement to end the long dispute over Canadian softwood imports to the U.S. is a good deal for both countries. He says both sides have compromised and that he's confident the accord will soon be signed. In remarks before the Maritime Lumber Bureau, he declined to offer an opinion whether the signing could occur before the meeting between the prime minister, Mr. Harper, and U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington on July 6. In Ottawa meanwhile, a lawyer based in Washington, Elliot Feldman, told the House of Commons all-party trade committee that the accord doesn't recognize Canada's string of victories at the dispute-resolution panel of the North American Free Trade Area, predicting that the outcome will destroy NAFTA. Softwood-Lumber

2005

Thursday Dec 15, 2005 rci The Canadian Wheat Board has won a ruling by the dispute-resolution panel of the North American Free Trade Area concerning exports of spring wheat to the U.S. The U.S. imposed tariffs of 14 per cent on the imports in 2003, which effectively ended them. NAFTA has ordered an end to the tariffs, thus rejecting a complaint of unfair trade practices that had been brought by the U.S. state of North Dakota. The Canadian Wheat Board says the exports to the U.S. of spring wheat won't necessarily resume because Canada is selling more wheat to China. The Board says the Americans have now met with 14 consecutive negative international rulings on the matter.

Thursday Dec 15, 2005 rci UNDATED: NAFTA WEIGHS COMPLAINT AGAINST CANADA POST
The dispute-resolution panel of the North American Free Trade Area has begun considering the merits of a complaint lodged against Canada Post in 2000 by the American delivery service United Parcel Service. UPS alleges that Canada Post is in violation of Chapter 11 of the NAFTA accord and demands compensation of $185 million in damages and interest. UPS claims that its interests in Canada have suffered because Canada Post enjoys unfair advantages through its network of post boxes and offices. The American firm alleges that this is particularly true of its competitor's parcel delivery service, express delivery and messenger service. The union representing most Canada Post workers and the nationalist Council of Canadians have expressed concern that UPS might win a NAFTA ruling, saying that such a development would force Canada Post to shut down its delivery service Purolator.

Thursday, December 01, 2005 cc Canada should renegotiate free-trade deal
NAFTA doesn't work; Trade deals are bad for working people, and the U.S. ignores them anyway Ken Georgetti, president of the Canadian Labour Congress
Canadians are ready for a serious debate on trade. We always knew that the free-trade deals were not working for us. Now, 15 years after the original Canada-U.S. agreement, even the stars of the Mulroney team admit it publicly. The lead negotiators, Pat Carney and Derek Burney, concede that Canada surrendered too much for a dispute-settlement mechanism that is worthless: The Americans refuse to abide by it to settle the softwood- lumber dispute.

Sunday Oct 23, 2005 Canada doesn't have oil, Alberta does, and U.S. is our main trading partner, says Rondi Adamson


The United States does not have too much "control" of our oil. The idea that it does — because, under NAFTA, we sell a certain proportion of oil to the United States — shows a failure to understand any number of things.

Friday Sep 23, 2005 ts Scotia plays unique NAFTA hand
MEXICO CITY—The Bank of Nova Scotia is playing up its unique presence in all three NAFTA countries as it goes head to head with some of the largest banks in the world for dominance in Mexico's fast-growing financial services industry.

Saturday Jan 15, 2005 np "U.S. lumber industry's legal ploy 'hogwash'"
Gordon Ritchie: NAFTA architect says bid pushes Bush into corner
.....He said the lumber coalition had pushed the U.S. government into a corner and, if it wins its court challenge, will damage the credibility of all trade agreements signed by the United States with the rest of the world.

Tue 9/13/2005 The Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports, an American lumber lobby, says that part of the dispute-resolution process under the terms of the North American Free Trade Accord is unconstitutional. The lobby says NAFTA submits decisions on disputes to panels some of the members of which aren't Americans, and that therefore the process violates the U.S. constitution. The Coalition says that only Americans have the constitutional right to decide whether U.S. trade laws that target unfair subsidies and dumping should be overridden. The challenge is the latest development in a decades-long dispute over imported Canadian lumber, which the U.S. government has ruled receives government subsidies and dumps its product on the American markets, which Canada denies. Since 2002, the U.S. has levied punitive tariffs on the exports. Last month, a NAFTA dispute panel ruled in Canada's favour in a case involving the tariffs, a decision which the U.S. has ignored.

Tuesday Sep 13, 2005 oecd U.S.-Canada timber fight in court
Three Possible NAFTA Scenarios
It Is Time for Canada to Think Carefully about North America
In a recent Embassy column, Lloyd Axworthy concludes a severe critique of U.S. handling of several U.S.-Canada trade disputes and of other Bush policies by suggesting that "it may be time for Canada to pull out of NAFTA."

Tuesday Sep 13, 2005 ts U.S.-Canada timber fight in court
OTTAWA—Smarting over a major NAFTA loss to Canada in the multibillion-dollar softwood trade dispute, the America lumber industry says it will challenge the continental trade pact in the United States' courts.

Friday Sep 7, 2005 more wn

Friday Aug 26, 2005 ts Call on Mulroney in trade warEnlist help of Mulroney
We are at a crossroads in our relations with the United States. The refusal of the Bush administration to accept the unanimous ruling of the NAFTA Extraordinary Challenge Committee that tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber are contrary to U.S. trade law elevates the stakes far beyond a trade dispute.

Tuesday Apr 12, 2005 ts
NAFTA`s value coming under scrutiny
CLEVELAND—There`s a real question emerging of whether NAFTA`s dispute settlement process is worth the paper it is printed on, and if not, whether NAFTA itself has any real value.

Wed-Night Mar 23, 2005 NAFTA is a trade agreement that is a relatively small part of a much larger North American economic system. We are not so much trading partners as we are co-workers, - making things together. We are deeply connected and interdependent. Canadian economic well-being has improved significantly since trade with the U.S. has increased. It would be very difficult and painful for Canada to opt out; however, what Canada should be thinking about is what kind of North America we want and how to create a North America in which Canadian values are secure.

[Editor's Note: for much more on this topic see "Mapping the New North American Reality", published by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IRPP) and edited by Stephen Blank, Stephanie R. Golob and Guy Stanley, as well as the introductory chapter to Thinking North America, by Thomas J. Courchene, an overview of the series, which together provide a comprehensive examination of the multifaceted challenges and opportunities presented by North American integration. ]

Monday Mar 21, 2005 OTTAWA: NAFTA SUMMIT GOALS CALLED LIMITED Canadian officials have told the Canadian Press news agency that the objectives of the one-day summit in Texas between the leaders of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico will be limited, with no major developments emerging from it. The sources say the talks between Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, U.S. President George W. Bush and Mexican President Vicente Fox will revolve around such practical topics as border security, trade regulations, food safety and disease. However, Mr. Martin has said that in his short personal meeting with Mr. Bush he'll raise the two intractable bilateral trade disputes over imported Canadian softwood lumber and beef and cattle. The officials in Ottawa also report that there will be debate about the possibility of holding regularly scheduled summits of the leaders of the three partners in the North American Free Trade Accord

Thursday Mar 17, 2005 MEXICO CITY: NAFTA STATES TO STRENGTHEN TRADE ACCORD The president of Mexico, Vicente Fox, says that his country, Canada and the U.S. are going to approve measures to strengthen their countries' North American Free Trade Accord. He, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and U.S. President George W. Bush are going to meet next week in the American state of Texas. Mr. Fox says the draft of the measures provides for a custom union involving common tariffs. Mr. Fox says the draft also contains measures for a common North American energy policy and increased security measures. But he says the modifications won't change NAFTA's basic features.

Wednesday Mar 16, 2005 NAFTA - what are the prospects for next week's meeting of the three heads of state? What will happen to recommendations of John Manley's task force on NAFTA? If Maude Barlow doesn't like them, they can't all be bad

Tuesday Mar 15, 2005 WASHINGTON: EVEN CLOSER NAFTA ARRANGEMENTS SUGGESTED
A committee representing the three member states of the North American Free Trade Area says trade within it should be even freer than at present. The committee representing Canada, the U.S. and Mexico recommends that they impose a common external tariff to get rid of regulatory red tape and congestion in North America's ports. The committee's report also suggests a more efficient dispute-resolution mechanism than exists at present under NAFTA rules to solve more quickly such intractable conflicts such as those involving imported Canadian softwood lumber and beef. The document also suggests the expansion of the North American Aerospace Defence Command to include maritime security. And the report recommends a tri-national intelligence centre and a strategy to protect North America's energy supplies. Next week, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, Mexican President Vicente Fox and U.S. President George W. Bush will meet in Texas to discuss, among other matters, the current state of NAFTA.

Friday Mar 4, 2005 OTTAWA, WASHINGTON: NAFTA LEADERS TO HOLD SUMMIT
The leaders of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico will meet in the U.S. on March 23. The meeting will take place at Baylor University in Texas. President George W. Bush will represent the U.S., Prime Minister Paul Martin Canada and President Vicente Fox Mexico. Their countries are the members of the North American Free Trade Area. Mr. Martin had requested the meeting to talk about what Canada sees are problems with NAFTA's trade-resolution mechanisms. NAFTA was established in 1994. The agreement's supporters claim it has led to an increase in investment for all three partners. Its critics, particularly in the U.S., say it has caused the loss of thousands of jobs and a high trade deficit.

Saturday Jan 15, 2005 np U.S. threat aimed at NAFTA Pact undermines U.S. Constitution, lumber industry says

Tuesday Oct 19, 2004 Simon Hayter, The Ottawa Citizen Former Deputy Prime Minister John Manley 'NAFTA-plus' talks aim for security pact
OTTAWA - Senior business and political leaders from Canada, the United States and Mexico are joining forces to establish a blueprint for a powerhouse North American trading bloc to take on the world, shielded by a Fortress America-style defence perimeter...

Sunday Jul 18, 2004 Canadian, American and Mexican trade negotiators have made changes to make the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, more efficient. They have simplified or eliminated some of the complex rules that affect their cross-border trading. And they adapted NAFTA's provisions to improve access to medicine for developing countries. The changes are scheduled to take effect on January the first. Further changes are planned for the following year. The trade officials, including Canada's trade minister, Jim Peterson, met in San Antonio, Texas, to mark the tenth anniversary of the NAFTA agreement.

Sunday Jul 18, 2004 SAN ANTONIO: CANADA-U.S. TRADE DISPUTE DISCUSSED A NAFTA ANNIVERSARY Canada's trade minister raised two trade disputes with the U.S. at a meeting of the three trade ministers representing the member states party to the North American Free Trade Accord on the occasion of its 10th anniversary. Jim Peterson of Canada met in San Antonio, Tex., with his American and Mexican counterparts, Robert Zoellick and Fernando Canales. Mr. Peterson said trade within NAFTA is dispute-free 95 per cent of the time. But he says there are problems in the other five per cent of cases. Mr. Peterson mentioned the dispute with the U.S. over imports of Canadian softwood lumber. The minister complained that the U.S. has refused to refund to Canadian lumber firms the tariffs levied on the imports even though a NAFTA dispute-resolution board mandated that it do so. Mr. Peterson says that only a respect of NAFTA's rules can ensure the accord's maintenance.

Tuesday Jun 8, 2004 cbc
NAFTA PANEL RULES IN CANADA'S FAVOUR AGAIN ON SOFTWOOD LUMBER Canada has won another round in the long-running softwood lumber trade dispute with the United States.

Tuesday Jun 8, 2004 Paper and Forest Products
NAFTA RulingThursday Jun 3, 2004 cbc
CANADA LAGGING U.S. ON POLLUTION CUTS: REPORT The NAFTA environmental agency says Canada is moving more slowly than the United States in curbing pollution.

Saturday May 1, 2004 ts
Canada can`t pin economic hopes on NAFTA One of the great benefits promised for Canada from a free trade deal with the United States was that we would attract billions of dollars of investment, creating great numbers of new jobs, from foreign multinationals that would build operations in Canada to serve the U.S. market. ....It didn't happen. ..... there are good reasons why the free trade agreement discourages investment in Canada to serve the North American market. As long as the United States can impose anti-dumping or countervailing duties on imports from Canada, or engage in other forms of trade harassment, many companies will find it more attractive to locate in the United States and serve Canada from the United States, rather than vice versa. .......Border restrictions since 9/11 only reinforce this concern.

Sunday May 2, 2004 David,
The person who really understands this issue is Bill Watson.I know that Rick Harris and Maureen Molot are honest and competent academics.The obvious twist in the story is in the last two paragraphs, which fit the editorial biases of the Star.Those paragraphs look like a conclusion to the story, but they do not follow from the stuff above. Dr. Tony Deutsch

January 28, 2004 IRC
NAFTA, Foreign Direct Investment, and Sustainable Industrial Development in Mexico
The 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) capped Mexico’s ten-year transformation from one of the most closed to one of the most open economies in the world. The hope was that economic integration would stimulate large inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) in manufacturing, especially by North American corporations looking for a low-wage export platform. By expanding exports, FDI would alleviate Mexico’s debt overhang, create high-productivity manufacturing jobs, and fuel economic growth. see WN on Mexico

Monday Sept 8, 2003 globe
PETTIGREW CLAIMS ANOTHER LEGAL VICTORY ON SOFTWOOD LUMBER Canada has scored another legal victory in its long-running tussle with the United Sates over softwood lumber duties, Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew said. see WN on Softwood-Lumber

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.

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.

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.

Monday Dec 9, 2002 cbc
FORMER LEADERS CELEBRATE NAFTA DECADE Ten years ago the leaders of Canada, the United States and Mexico met in San Antonio, Texas, to sign the North American Free Trade Agreement. WN on Brian Mulroney

Stephen S. Poloz VP EDC Economics Weekly Commentary
Is Canada losing its NAFTA gains - October 23, 2002
Other weekly commentaries

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.

Wednesday, March 5, 1997
Canadian activist rails against effects of NAFTA BY CHRISTOPHER WALKER
The Yale Political Union went continental yesterday when Julius Grey, a Canadian human rights activist, spoke on the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Grey criticized NAFTA for its deleterious effects on the people and cultures of North America, discussing the principal of free trade and its consequences in Canada.
"Free trade is something that cuts across political boundaries," Julius Grey said.

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