Chrystia Freeland says Canada will not bend to U.S. steel tariff pressure in NAFTA talks

[shockedcanadian]

Of course they won't as they were given an exemption. Canada will NOT allow any movement on NAFTA that is of any consequence. Trump either signals a break of NAFTA giving them 6 months, or NAFTA just drags out with Canada hoping Trump loses in 2020.

Of course, if Trump hits them with tariffs it might make a move, but I don't think enough for them to negotiate in good faith. At this point, my sense is that Trump will probably need to officially announce withdrawal of NAFTA if he wants to have a legitimate renegotiation (or none).

http://nationalpost.com/news/politi...-tariff-pressure-in-nafta-talks-says-freeland

OTTAWA — As the United States tries to light a fire under NAFTA negotiations, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says Canada will not be bullied or pressured by the United States as part of those talks.

Freeland is coming off a tense week which started with the seventh round of NAFTA negotiations making little progress towards an agreement but ended with a sigh of relief when Canada and Mexico secured an exemption from new U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

The steel tariff threat was seen by many to be an attempt by the Trump administration to pressure Canada and Mexico to complete the NAFTA talks — giving in to other U.S. demands or giving up some of their own — rather than risk the punishing steel and aluminum duties. The steel tariff investigation was launched to see the impact of steel imports on U.S. national security.

Freeland said it was absurd to consider Canadian steel a national security threat and that “as far as Canada is concerned there is absolutely no connection” between the national security reasons cited for the steel tariffs and NAFTA.

 

[TomParks]

I think NAFTA is dead....its time to go back and do it country by country

 

[william the wie]

I think NAFTA is dead....its time to go back and do it country by country

Why redo it at all?

 

[shockedcanadian]

I think NAFTA is dead....its time to go back and do it country by country

NAFTA doesn't have to die, but Canada has to become capitalist, reciprocal and allow liberty to thrive, rather than our current socialist, centrally controlled system, We do NOT want America to enter the finance industry, telecom or many other industries. We still have "supply management" which is a nice word for communism. I said early on knowing what I know and the massive International influence in Canada that my country would not allow NAFTA to go away, or even be fairly renegotiated.

It's absurd that Americans don't understand what's going on, all while the WTO happily defends this, as Canada is a conduit to Chinese and Russian influence across the border.

 

[william the wie]

It is simpler to let NAFTA end and see who bargains better Mexico or Canada. No offense but given the treatment of first nations in Canada I suspect that Canada will miscalculate and believe that they have an unbeatable advantage in negotiations. I don't think they realize how much skins and breeds are treasured by the US military in particular and in the US. The Iroquois evacuated to Canada as British loyalists when Jackson announced the transportations and have been migrating back to the US ever since van Buren took power.

 

[shockedcanadian]

It is simpler to let NAFTA end and see who bargains better Mexico or Canada. No offense but given the treatment of first nations in Canada I suspect that Canada will miscalculate and believe that they have an unbeatable advantage in negotiations. I don't think they realize how much skins and breeds are treasured by the US military in particular and in the US. The Iroquois evacuated to Canada as British loyalists when Jackson announced the transportations and have been migrating back to the US ever since van Buren took power.

We DO have a NEAR unbeatable advantage because the U.S is under attack by the global socialists, definitely the WTO and even in some cases, we have U.S institutions such at the USITC who reversed tariffs against Bombardier. So it would seem, domestically, there are agencies who have more authority than the Executive Branch.

Trump will win the Rustbelt again if he is able to move away from NAFTA and suggest tariffs on cars coming from both countries until there are new unilateral deals. America must also retaliate with the WTO in the meantime and question Canadian domestic tactics, from barriers to the finance industry, telecom (both which should be easy wins with the WTO even as they defy America constantly). They can outline supply management and protectionism that is only seen in nations like Canada or China.

Ultimately, if the WTO is NOT interested in allowing the U.S sovereignty, the U. S should leave, or even set up a new organization and invite nations to join. That is how extreme it has become for America being targeted. It's completely unfair and a security threat to Western values. Some in Europe and elsewhere are so indebted to China they would happily throw liberty into the fire for their "cause".