It's time to renegotiate NAFTA, critics tell Harper

Well, that's exactly who I want setting economic policy in this country - "unions, religious, environment, student and social justice organizations."

Jesus H. Christ. Each one more retarded than the next.

NAFTA has been an absolute boon to Canada's economy and resulted in more trade with the US and Mexico than ever before. Yet no matter how much we benefit from these and other free trade deals some leftist tools always find a way to claim the sky is falling.

If we open up NAFTA with the Americans whom do you think is going to end up squeezing more concessions out of the other? What an awful idea.

I thought we left this neo-protectionist nonsense back in the 1930s.

I love how they claim that the agreement (or the SPP) "regulates matters to the lowest common denominator", although they have NO evidence to that effect.

Nevermind, for example, California has recently introduced the highest emissions standards in the world. How could that be? Doesn't free trade produce a race to the bottom?

Idiots.

well said.

Obama is already wanting to dictate his view of, er... renegotiate the NAFTA terms. Giving him an open invitation would not be the wisest move. It would make the Canadian government look weak in the face of the new administration's over-hyped ego.

NAFTA has been a boon to both sides of the border. Revisiting it is asking for trouble.

Canada should focus on eliminating internal trade barriers and stopping trade with nations that have substandard or no employment, safety or enviromental standards.

While I don't gree with the first patrt of this paragraph, I agree with the second part. A North American Free trade deal should be about eliminating regulations, not producing 20 000 pages of them. I think a free trade deal, if we are to have one, should have one sole clause: "The signatory nations hearby agree not to charge taxes or tariffs on goods exported to, or imported from any one of the other signatory nations."

There is your free trade, and it leaves you alot more legroom to become more competative with the other nations in the greement so as to not lose total number of national jobs. Yes you may lose 25 000 auto-workers jobs, but you can instead cut back some of the export of oil to American refineries, produce enough refineries to employ 25 000 people between Windsor and Toronto, and ship the oil over there.

But that would require a cut to inter-provincial trade barriers aswell.

I appreciate the concerns behind this statement but in my view you are dead wrong.

These countries with very poor standards (by our nation's yardstick) are still in development. They are not as advanced as us, in terms of economic progress. With time, they will be.

But you don't force a nation to have high environmental, etc, regulations or laws and then watch them develop. That's putting the cart before the horse.

Rather, you help their economy grow, and then, with time, they start to achieve these high standards that we have. In other words, higher economic growth leads to enhanced social welfare standards, not vice versa.

It's the same with us. 50 or 100 years ago, we had a far worse environment. Today things are better overall. You might cherry pick contrary examples (global warming?) but the trend is clear.

The best thing we can do is to open up trade with developing nations. Better for them - higher economic growth - better for us too - cheaper goods from them.

The fact it costs more to produce a good in Canada is of no consequence, because our superior work force and infrastructure, etc, mean that companies will want to set up shop in Canada for the goods and services where we have the comparative advantage. Which are industries typically associated with higher paying jobs.

Who cares if the textile mills etc move to the developing world. Are those the jobs of the future here?

Who cares if the textile mills etc move to the developing world. Are those the jobs of the future here?
Who cares if the sawmills etc move to the developing world. Are those the jobs of the future here?
Who cares if the aerospace industry etc move to the developing world. Are those the jobs of the future here?
Who cares if auto assembly etc move to the developing world. Are those the jobs of the future here?
Who cares if the computer plants etc move to the developing world. Are those the jobs of the future here?
Who cares if the electronic industry etc move to the developing world. Are those the jobs of the future here?
Who cares if medical research etc move to the developing world. Are those the jobs of the future here?
Who cares if the space launches etc move to the developing world. Are those the jobs of the future here?
Who cares if all manufacturing moves to the developing world. Are those the jobs of the future here?

There's plenty of jobs at Wendys. And the rest of us can be soldiers defending the rights of whatevers left to move out.

Unless they are planning to create a true system of free trade with no regulating board and without a 20,000 page document. I say leave it alone.

Typical leftist nonsense, founded on economic ignorance and perpetuated by ideologically driven assclowns. As if every job is leaving Canada (or the West in general.) We maintain one of the most highly skilled workforces in the world and we have nothing to fear from trade. You have absolutely no evidence to prove that jobs that we actually want are 'fleeing' Canada to the developing world. Because
they're not.

Over 60 years of free trade agreements starting with the GATT post WWII have lead to unparalleled growth in our economies and GDP. Oh, but don't let the facts get in the way of a good socialist rant.

*watches automotive jobs go to mexico, where workers are paid 50 cents an hour, so they can't afford to purchase what they produce*

I was hoping on even more trade.

I'm hoping Harper can still push that FTA agreement between Canada and the EU.

Let's just hope those critics are wrong and we go for more trade than less.

Ja, Herr Doktor. We'll just take your word on that, Evidence visible to everyone else is meaningless.
Go rant on a Republican board if you want to use "Pshaw! He's a socialist" as a valid argument.

Amen to that. Let's keep the jobs here. NAFTA helps with that quite a bit. If it isn't busted....