Bitten by the deal that once fed us
Canadians should hope for an Obama presidency and the reopening of NAFTA
John McCain’s visit to Canada on Friday was a preview of just how important the issue of renegotiating the North American free-trade agreement will be in this fall’s U.S. presidential election. The prospect of a Barack Obama presidency has sparked a lot of “will he or won’t he” worry in Canada. You can feel the fear of the business-as-usual crowd trying to reassure themselves that Mr. Obama won’t really reopen NAFTA.
He now says he won’t unilaterally withdraw, and that his rhetoric got a little overheated, but Mr. Obama still promises to open up a dialogue on NAFTA. Instead of wringing hands and holding on to the past, Canada should seize the opportunity that renegotiation could bring.
