The ongoing NAFTA renegotiations have prompted governments, analysts, civil society, and the broader public to wonder: what would the elimination of NAFTA mean for Canada?
This question has triggered a great deal of anxiety amongst Canadians. However, many researchers and commentators have entered the debate to highlight that the demise of corporate trade deals like NAFTA (or the current neoliberal global trade regime more broadly) would not plunge the Canadian economy into chaos. Not only would the impact on trade be relatively small, but the situation would, in fact, present real opportunities to pursue alternatives to the current model for global trade.
The Trade Justice Network (TJN) joins the call for such alternatives in order to promote a more equitable, inclusive, socially just and sustainable model of trade or economic exchange.
Below are some recent analyses exploring what the elimination of NAFTA would mean for Canada:
“NAFTA Renegotiation: Canada can safely walk away from an unfair deal” – Scott Sinclair, CCPA
“Life After NAFTA: Why no deal may free Canada on intellectual property policy” – Michael Geist, University of Ottawa
“Opportunities in a post-NAFTA world: Broadbent” – Ed Broadbent, Broadbent Institute
“What would a post-NAFTA Canada look like?” – CBC Radio interview with Gordon Ritchie, former Canadian ambassador for trade negotiations
What is the NAFTA Advantage? Putting the tariff impacts of a Trump termination in perspective – CCPA report by Pierre Laliberté and Scott Sinclair
Here are some existing proposals for developing alternatives to the current global trade regime:
A Vision for Climate-Friendly Trade – Sierra Club
Alternatives for the Americas: Building a People’s Hemispheric Agreement
People’s Trade Agenda – Unifor
Progressive Trade Alternative (PTA) – Trade Justice Network
The Sustainable Equitable Trade Doctrine – Todd Tucker, Roosevelt Institute
Trade: Time For a New Vision. The Alternative Trade Mandate (Europe)
Tri-national civil society declaration – Gathering of civil society and social movements groups from Canada, the US and Mexico