Canadian Government Executive - Volume 25 - Issue 02

46 / Canadian Government Executive // April/May 2019 To state the obvious, the political terrain has shifted consider- ably since the first deal was signed. The relationship between President Reagan and Prime Minister Mulroney was almost familial, whereas the dynamic between President Trump and Prime Minister Trudeau is far less warm. Also, President Reagan was keen to remove barriers in the trade relationship between the two countries. There was no significant public opposition to the FTA in the U.S., and the proposed agreement moved through both the House of Representatives and the United States Senate quickly and easily. President Trump, in contrast, has been heav- ily critical of the NAFTA agreement as unfair to America and has called it “perhaps the worst trade deal ever made.” During negotiations for the new NAFTA, he repeatedly threatened to walk away from the trade deal if America’s terms were not met. Prime Minister Trudeau made similar comments. Back in 1988, the political interactions between the two countries seemed much easier to manage; the hard part was convincing Canadians to accept the potential risks of free trade with the United States. This time around, voters in both countries are mostly support- ive of the new trade deal. However, many supporters of Presi- dent Trump agree with his negative assessment of the historical trade relationship between Canada and the U.S. on the grounds that America has experienced a trade deficit and sustained job losses. Politically, President Trump had to create space between the old and new NAFTAs, so as to be able to bring his supporters onside with the new deal. As the relationship between the two countries has changed, so has the global economy. America is no longer the stand-alone superpower it once was, and Canada has committed to diversi- fying its trade relationships. New trade agreements, including the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with the European Union (CETA) and the Comprehensive and Progres- sive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), fortify Canada’s relationships with trade partners beyond the U.S. Fur- ther, the new Trade Diversification Strategy seeks to, among other things, increase overseas exports by 50 per cent by 2025. The fall 2019 election will provide an opportunity for Canadi- ans to judge the federal government’s progress and performance on the trade file. Though it will not be a single-issue election, Canada’s international partnerships and its position in the global context will no doubt feature prominently in the debates ahead and will provide political parties the opportunity to dif- ferentiate themselves as they appeal to voters. L ori T urnbull is the Director of the School of Public Administration at Dalhousie University and the deputy editor of Canadian Government Executive. THE LAST WORD President Trump, in contrast, has been heavily critical of the NAFTA agreement as unfair to America and has called it “perhaps the worst trade deal ever made.” During negotiations for the new NAFTA, he repeatedly threatened to walk away from the trade deal if America’s terms were not met. President Donald J. Trump, joined by Cabinet members, legislators and senior White House advisers, announces completion of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Official White House Photo by Stephanie Chasez