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Since first forming the government in 2006, the Conservative Party led by Stephen Harper has signed no less than six free trade treaties, mostly with countries in central and south America, but these were apparently merely the hors d'oeuvres before the feast.
This week, a major diplomatic effort is underway in Brussels to finish negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which if successful would have enormous consequences for Canada and the EU.
But wait, there's more: the Harper Government has also begun talks with both India and China for free trade agreements:
Quote:
Improving links with growing Asian economies, as a means of diversifying away from traditional trading partners such as the United States, has become the centrepiece of the Conservative government’s economic strategy. Stephen Harper met with Chinese President Hu Jintao during the APEC summit in Russia over the weekend and Canada formally signed a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement, aimed at giving Canadian businesses confidence that their legal rights in China will be respected.
None of these initiatives is home and dry yet, but if Harper and his cabinet colleagues manage to pull off the hat trick, Canada will have the most extensive network of free trade agreements of any country in the world. One primary consequence, of course, will be that Canadian firms will gain an enormous advantage over competitors, including American businesses, in exploiting the three largest markets in the world outside North America.
A few Canadian Politicians, Bankers, Financiers and Traders will become incredibly wealthy. Most Canadian small industries and their workers will be devastated by the flood of cheap imports from the international slavers. Just look at what happened after we made chine a trading partner yet still allow them to charge a tariff on our exports and while we let their exports go unchallenged. Canada is about to get as badly damaged by their financiers as the US.
This is what you get when you elect Konservatives that sell their souls to Finance.
A few Canadian Politicians, Bankers, Financiers and Traders will become incredibly wealthy. Most Canadian small industries and their workers will be devastated by the flood of cheap imports from the international slavers. Just look at what happened after we made chine a trading partner yet still allow them to charge a tariff on our exports and while we let their exports go unchallenged. Canada is about to get as badly damaged by their financiers as the US.
This is what you get when you elect Konservatives that sell their souls to Finance.
We now interrupt your safe black and white world view with reality.....
The last 6 Democratic presidential tickets (at least) had a NAFTA supporter or signer on it.
Damage to particular sectors or industries which are uncompetitive vis-a-vis the new trading partner is always the challenge with free trade agreements, of course.
On the other hand, NAFTA taught the Canadians a great deal, and the institutional memory of those lessons is still very strong among the public-service department heads in the foreign and trade ministries. I'd be very surprised if these concerns aren't being extensively discussed in various ministry conference rooms all around Ottawa. But of course, there are unavoidable risks to free trade.
What is most interesting to me, though, is the energy of the Harper government to pursue so many openings simultaneously - this has to be the largest diplomatic effort undertaken by any North American government since the end of the Second World War. Just in terms of ministerial (i.e. political) and deputy-ministerial (i.e. civil service) man-hours, these several negotiations must be an incredible strain on Canada's foreign-policy human resources.
A few Canadian Politicians, Bankers, Financiers and Traders will become incredibly wealthy. Most Canadian small industries and their workers will be devastated by the flood of cheap imports from the international slavers. Just look at what happened after we made chine a trading partner yet still allow them to charge a tariff on our exports and while we let their exports go unchallenged. Canada is about to get as badly damaged by their financiers as the US.
This is what you get when you elect Konservatives that sell their souls to Finance.
You are so wrong you could not be wronger. Just supplying the Chinese market alone with raw materials will produce enough government revenue to pay every single Canadian benefits greater than millions of American workers get for full time hard work.
Canada has a resource based economy. It would just be the height of ignorance to leave all of our eggs in the USA basket. Never forget that Canada has huge resources and a small population.
The USA has said over and over they want to become self sufficient in energy. I would be pretty stupid and actually negligent for any Canadian government not to develop new markets, more customers and bigger returns for the country. What do you suppose we should do with all of our oil? Drink it??????
You can't compare Canada to the USA the way you do. The Canadian people do not get "Badly damaged by financiers as the US". The Canadian people share in the successes of our business and trade. This success is funneled back to the people in such things as universal healthcare,good schools and affordable higher education, child tax credits for low wage families and many more good solid social programmes. I have a daycare business. All my kids are 100% subsidized by the government so their mothers can work at fairly low wages. Maybe that money comes from the coal that is burning in some Chinese furnace.
The problem is the US HAS FREE TRADE WITH CHINA. It is just free trade for China. For the US it is protectionist trade.
BTW Luck above nailed it. Its great for Canada as long as they do not expect to send anything over in greater than raw material form. The Chinese LOVE one kind of import: raw material.
We now interrupt your safe black and white world view with reality.....
The last 6 Democratic presidential tickets (at least) had a NAFTA supporter or signer on it.
He's talking about the Conservative Party in Canada, you know, the party which currently controls the Canadian government. Not everything is about the US, you know?
He's talking about the Conservative Party in Canada, you know, the party which currently controls the Canadian government. Not everything is about the US, you know?
You might have thought the phrase "the Conservative Party led by Stephen Harper" in my first sentence would have given the game away.
The problem is the US HAS FREE TRADE WITH CHINA. It is just free trade for China. For the US it is protectionist trade.
BTW Luck above nailed it. Its great for Canada as long as they do not expect to send anything over in greater than raw material form. The Chinese LOVE one kind of import: raw material.
That is not the truth. We have substantial trade in many areas with China.
Agriculture and agri food.
Clean technology and environmental services.
Machinery and equipment.
Products derived from natural resources.
Services of all kinds.
Transportation infrastructure and aerospace.
Free trade with China will greatly increase all of these exports. Canadian banks and insurance companies will be huge in the Chinese market. Canadian dimensional lumber will be even bigger. Canada has even founded a university in China that teaches them how to build timber framed structures, using Canadian lumber of course.
Right at this moment there is a deal on the table that will detirmine if we get a free trade deal with China or not. The Chinese national oil company has made an offer to buy Nexen Canada for 15.1 billion dollars. If this deal is quashed by the federal government it will set back trade relations years. Nexen's main assets are in the oil sands but they own oil wells in the gulf in American territory. If the deal goes through the Chinese government will own oil producing properties in the USA. How do you like that????
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Canadian disaster
