The author’s book on Canadian foreign policy.
(Public Domain)
Throughout the early phase of the CUSMA negotiations during the first Trump presidency, Freeland herself was adamant that Canada not abandon Mexico in favour of a bilateral deal.
Rather, she pointedly emphasized the need to work alongside Mexico to present a common front against the Trump administration’s efforts divide its two North American trading partners.
When faced with an overwhelming aggressor, she argued, it’s best not to stand alone.
U.S. made side deal
This position was backed by other ministers as well as by Ottawa’s trade negotiators even as prominent Canadians — including former prime minister Stephen Harper — called for ditching the Mexicans.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with Donald Trump, not shown, in London in December 2019.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
At first, the Canadian approach appeared to succeed. Freeland herself earned a fearsome reputation among American officials, with Trump attacking her as a “nasty woman.”
Later, however, Canadian negotiators thought they saw an opening and offered the Americans a bilateral deal without notifying their Mexican colleagues.
Not only did Washington reject the offer, American officials approached Mexico City and concluded a separate side deal of their own. This time, it was Canada left unaware.
Warning signs
The threat of being cut out of a trade agreement was more imagined than real — the Trump administration could not replace NAFTA with a bilateral arrangement without congressional approval — but Canada still had to move quickly to restore a trilateral solution.
CUSMA subsequently came into effect on July 1, 2020.
The CUSMA negotiations should offer Ford and the entire Canadian negotiating team a warning.
If Canada is prepared to leave Mexico behind, Canadian officials should be prepared for their Mexican counterparts to do the same. And while it seems right now that the U.S. has problems with Mexico and its management of America’s porous southern border than it does with Ottawa, under the mercurial Trump, the situation can can change in an instant.
It’s therefore probably not in Canada’s interest to throw Mexico under the bus.
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=673c38d1a99745d78a8fcb572876e69b&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconversation.com%2Fadios-amigos-what-trump-2-0-means-for-canada-and-mexico-243788&c=14786906458937978351&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-11-18 06:37:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
