Softwood Lumber

[farmers_son]

The original CUSTA did include a provision to remove special interest groups playing politics with trade. When Canada signed onto NAFTA that provision disappeared.

Trade is good, I agree, but the level playing field that was supposed to exist never happened. Special interest groups in the U.S. never allowed NAFTA to work and trade irritants such as the Byrd amendment made things worse. The U.S. is not a free or fair trader.

Oil and gas are politically powerful tools in today’s energy hungry world. Canada gave up a huge advantage when they let the U.S. have free access to our energy. Now we find ourselves having to go cap in hand to negotiate a softwood lumber deal that will see managed (read restricted) access to the U.S. market and we face continued border closures to our cattle and beef. The U.S would be very much more trade friendly with Canada if we had kept sovereignty over our energy reserves. The only settlement mechanism that will work with the U.S. is called the tap.

[cowman]

I think I can agree with that assessment farmers son. However I would point out that America isn't exactly raping us on the oil and gas thing? They are paying dearly for that resource? And it has been very good for all of Canada and Alberta in particular!
However I do think it would have been helpful if we could have "slowed" the flow when they pull some of this illegal garbage like they did on softwood lumber and beef.

[Willowcreek]

Cowman quote "However I would point out that America isn't exactly raping us on the oil and gas thing? They are paying dearly for that resource? And it has been very good for all of Canada and Alberta in particular!"

You are correct cowman- In fact several states and now US Congress are investigating why oil producing states like ND, MT, and WY can't sell their oil or only get 1/2 price for what they produce because the pipelines are all tied up with Canadian oil- which is being bought at full price.....

[farmers_son]

Cowman: re paying dearly for oil and gas. The Americans own or lease all or nearly all the oil and gas under the ground in Canada and elsewhere in the world. They do not care about the price, it is just money going from one Americans pocket into another Americans pocket. Where politics come into play is access to another country's energy. That is why the U.S. attacked Iraq, to get access to that oil which was not going to the U.S. The war drove up the price of oil but no matter as now the U.S. gets access to crucial energy reserves. Access to oil and gas is hugely important politically.

Willowcreek: If you are wanting tariffs or controls put on Canadian oil and gas coming into the U.S. I am afraid that there will be snowballs in hell before that happens. Seems to me people in Montana, North Dakota and so forth are on some kind of power trip. The U.S. did not attack Iraq to get its beef or live cattle, they attacked Iraq to get that country's oil. The U.S. is addicted to oil and gas, your President said so. That addiction could have been used to keep the trade playing field level between Canada and the U.S. because even though we are a smaller middle power we had the oil and gas. We gave aware that political power when we fell into the NAFTA trap. I understand you want to see NAFTA squashed because you believe it would keep out our beef and live cattle. I would point out that the U.S. has been doing a very good job of keeping out our live cattle and beef for almost 3 years now but still retains unrestricted access to our oil and gas. The U.S. is having their cake and eating it too with NAFTA and managed trade. We had better access to U.S. markets before CUSTA/NAFTA was signed and that is fact.

[Willowcreek]

farmers-son--- You are right about Canada having pretty much sold out their country to Big Business- And you may be right about not being able to do anything with the oil deal...But remember its an election year and anything is possible...Republicans are making any kind of deal to keep MT Senator Burns in office!! Anyway its raising some real questions with the voters and some in Congress why the oil companies will pay foreign countries more for oil that ties up pipelines and makes US oil worth less...
Like I've said before- many Americans are waking up to the huge problems coming about with this One New World concept of government and global trade......Couple more demonstrations by Mexican illegals wanting "their" land back will seal globalizations fate with the US citizens!!!...