Editorial Free-trade opponents

Opposition to the proposed Canada-U.S. free trade agreement has recently been coming largely from south of the border while opponents in Canada have been uncharacteristically quiet.

The most recent volley against the deal comes from U.S. plywood producers who feel they’re getting the short end of the stick from those canny Canuck traders. They made their feelings known at a hearing before a House of Representatives committee, and some U.S. politicians were quick to agree.

Opposition to the deal from the U.S., however, raises some tricky questions for opponents in Canada. For example, if Canadian critics of the deal cry that the Mulroney government “sold out” during the free trade negotiations, criticism from the U.S. would hardly bolster that interpretation. Yet Canadian opponents have encouraged U.S. fears seeing that as their best hope of having the pact defeated.

In fact, the situation leads to some slightly ludicrous situations. At one point, such Liberal noteworthies as Lloyd Axworthy and Herb Gray tried to convince U.S. politicians that this deal is so good for Canada that Congress had better kill it quickly.

There is some irony in Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition seeking allies in Washington, D.C., in order to embarrass a Canadian government it accuses of kowtowing to the Americans. Is this the “cultural sovereignty” they so passionately defend?

Perhaps that’s one reason why opposition to the deal here in Canada has cooled somewhat. It’s much easier to argue against in general terms as a threat to such nebulous concepts as “cultural sovereignty” — as if culture recognizes any sovereign — than it is to argue against a good deal when it gets down to specifics. It must be embarrassing for those who advocate protectionism in the name of nationalism to find themselves in bed with the “damn Yankees.”

Disregarding concerns from the U.S., this deal is a good one. Critics must have their day, and potential flaws in a basically sound agreement will be pointed out and corrected. In the end, however, the deal is good both for Canadians and for Americans. And there will be no better example to the world of how increased trade and reduced trade barriers can increase prosperity for everyone involved. The Americans would be short-sighted indeed if they were to turn down this deal with their largest trading partner. So, too, would Canadians.