Yesterdays announcement of a NAFTA win for Canadian softwood lumber producers is getting the thumbs down by Washington who say they are going to ignore the NAFTA ruling and continue to impose tariffs on Canadian lumber which have amounted to billions of dollars.
See:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/10/AR2005081001448.html
It is not very much of a stretch for Canadian beef producers to feel they get much the same kind of protectionist treatment from Washington. What is the point of NAFTA if Washington just makes up their own trade rules?
If we were being realistic about it, the only reason we have live cattle trade with the U.S. was not based on any consideration from NAFTA but because the U.S. ended up in the same boat as us with their own BSE cow and suddenly it is OK to ship live calves, but still not cows, throughout North America.
Top level government people in this country have pointed out that NAFTA has not worked to the advantage of primary producers who have found themselves subject to continued trade harassment at the hands of the Americans.
It is high time governments acknowledge that NAFTA has not worked for Canadians and scrap it. While the concept may have been well and good, the reality of NAFTA did not live up to the promise.
See:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/10/AR2005081001448.html
It is not very much of a stretch for Canadian beef producers to feel they get much the same kind of protectionist treatment from Washington. What is the point of NAFTA if Washington just makes up their own trade rules?
If we were being realistic about it, the only reason we have live cattle trade with the U.S. was not based on any consideration from NAFTA but because the U.S. ended up in the same boat as us with their own BSE cow and suddenly it is OK to ship live calves, but still not cows, throughout North America.
Top level government people in this country have pointed out that NAFTA has not worked to the advantage of primary producers who have found themselves subject to continued trade harassment at the hands of the Americans.
It is high time governments acknowledge that NAFTA has not worked for Canadians and scrap it. While the concept may have been well and good, the reality of NAFTA did not live up to the promise.
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