The Free Trade Debate On Canada - 924 Words

In 1985, a report published by the Royal Commission on the Economic Union and Development Prospects of Canada recommended that Canada establish a free trade agreement with the United States (Quinlan, 318). Brian Mulroney took the advice and set foot to establish such an agreement. This lead to the creation of the Free Trade Agreement through the process of the Free Trade Debate. The Free Trade Debate has strengthened our economy and has reinforced our relationships with neighbouring countries. Therefore, the Free Trade Debate has positively impacted Canada into making Canada what it is today. To start, Mulroney’s government started negotiations with the USA in September 1985 and struck a deal in October 1987. The FTA covered major areas†¦show more content†¦Studies have found that about 75 percent of job creation in Canada was due to the FTA (Tilson). Furthermore, one in four jobs in Canada have been tied to international trade (Quinlan, 326). As a result, today, abo ut 5.2 million Canadian jobs depend on trade with the United States (Tilson). Moving on, imports and exports have increased drastically since the FTA took effect in 1989. According to the United States Census Bureau, Canadian imports had increased by 9.6 percent within the first year and an astonishing 23.3 percent in a matter of four years from 1988. Exports had also increased 7.7 percent within the first year and 19.1 percent within four years (United States). One major impact as a result of the Free Trade Debate was also the successor to the FTA which was the North American Free Trade Agreement. NAFTA was basically an upgraded version of the FTA which incorporated Mexico into the North American trading bloc. Established on 1 January 1994, NAFTA created a trading market of about 370 million people (Wilkinson). Although this was only 8 percent of the world’s population, it controlled about 31 percent of the world’s wealth (Quinlan, 323). Moreover, NAFTA added many gre at benefits to Canada which has helped Canada in the long run. NAFTA covered topics such as free trade, no limits on imports, equal access to natural resources, Chapter 11, and a dispute panel. Firstly, the