The clock is ticking down on the NAFTA negotiations, and Canadians are justifiably worried. Several interconnected timetables say sa国际传媒, the U.S. and Mexico must get a deal on the North American Free Trade Agreement by the end of this month. That鈥檚 because the American Congress needs 90 days鈥� notice and the incoming Mexican president wants this thing wrapped up before he takes office on Dec. 1.
But Canadian negotiators have been twiddling their thumbs since late May, when the discussions hit a roadblock. The Americans and Mexicans have been trying to settle bilateral issues on their own.
This week, the Canadians were apparently blindsided by the announcement that the Mexicans and Americans could have a 鈥渉andshake鈥� deal any day now. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland was initially mum, but said the next day she was encouraged by the progress.
We might take her enthusiasm with a grain of salt because even if the others do have an agreement by today, for instance, that leaves sa国际传媒 less than a week to review it and sign on. And the country has some major issues that have to be resolved, including U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 insistence on a sunset clause and American antipathy to our dairy supply-management system.
The dispute might seem far away from Victoria, but with the third-lowest unemployment rate in the country at 4.2 per cent, we have to be worried that a trade war or the loss of NAFTA could bring the good times to a halt.
