Be strong in NAFTA talks, say Windsor officials concerned about trade routes and jobs
CBC News | Posted: July 19, 2017 12:49 AM | Last Updated: July 19, 2017
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer released his NAFTA negotiating objectives Monday
Opening up the North America Free Trade Agreement could mean a blow to the Winsdor economy, just as the region is enjoying prosperity not seen in years, say officials reacting to the priorities laid out by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer released his NAFTA negotiating objectives Monday, signaling to Mexico and Canada what talks will be like next month.
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Officials in the Windsor region want the Canadian government to ensure trade routes continue to flow — particularly considering the latest resurgence of the manufacturing industry. More specifically, they also want to protect dairy farmers and the thousands of residents who cross the border into Michigan for work everyday.
"We are a trading city, we are a trading region. We really are dependent on our trade with the U.S.," said Tracey Ramsey, the NDP MP for Essex. "We've seen the devastating losses in manufacturing. We understand the impact of trade deals."
Top priority in negotiations
One of the most troublesome items in the 18-page summary of priorities released Monday is the proposal to eliminate the body that oversees and settles trade disputes, a feature Canada has used in its favour many times.
NAFTA's Chapter 19 dispute resolution panels have been a valuable tool for the Canadian government for issues like softwood lumber, explained Bill Anderson, a political science professor at the University of Windsor and founding member of the Cross Border Institute.
"That's the one thing that's going to be causing consternation among people in Ottawa," he said. "In a document that's very vague, the wording on that is very, very explicit."
The Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce wants to make sure trade flows across the border once NAFTA details have been hammered out.
"We want to make sure there's a border agreement attached to it to make sure — once the trade side is dealt with — we have an operational plan to make sure it actually works at the border," said chamber president Matt Marchand.
Keeping jobs in the U.S.
Marchand also wants to ensure the 6,000 residents in the Windsor region, who work in Michigan, can return to their jobs after a new NAFTA deal is done.
"We want to make sure the visa issue is covered off and those folks are clear to work in the U.S.," he said.
A host of professionals, that include specialized nurses, have been working across the border under the non-immigrant professional (TN) work visas. Back in March, nurses were in a frenzy after many were told they no longer qualified, but that issue was cleared up within a week.
Ramsey echoed Marchand's comments, saying the provisions in NAFTA need to be upheld.
"This matters to people, if their jobs are affected," she told CBC News.
Ramsey also wants to see Ottawa stand up for dairy farmers. The Trump administration outlined how it wants to eliminate "non-tariff barriers to U.S. agricultural exports ... that unfairly limit access to markets to U.S. goods."
"There's been a lot of rhetoric out of the U.S. about it, so it's very important that the Canadian government stand firm on protecting supply management," Ramsey said.
She is already pressuring Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to identify the Canadian priorities heading into the NAFTA negotiations. She, along with NDP Leader Tom Mulcair, wrote a letter to Trudeau asking him to make those priorities public.
Avoiding a U.S. withdrawal
A total breakdown in talks, resulting in the U.S. pulling out of NAFTA would be devastating for both countries, Anderson explained.
"At least in the short run, it would be pretty extreme negative economic impact because so much of our economy actually functions under rules that are in NAFTA," he said.
Auto parts that go back and forth across the border that would then be subject to duties with every crossing.
"That would really pile up," Anderson said of the cost for the manufacturing industry.
A suspension of NAFTA would be terrible for trade, but it would also be devastating for the estimated 6,000 people who commute across the border for work, he said.