Report offers 'User's guide' to a new Canada-U.S. trade deal

[CHIMO]

Source: CBC

A day before Prime Minister Stephen Harper is set to meet U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House, the Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute has released a report on the potential future of the bilateral relationship.

The report (embedded below) by former diplomat Colin Robertson argues that in order to create "smart growth and jobs" in a post-NAFTA Canada, progress must be made in three key areas: "a common security perimeter, a rationalized regulatory regime that reduces red tape and a compatible approach to the stewardship and development of resources." That last area includes a common approach to tackling climate change.

His report, titled 'Now for the Hard Part': A User's Guide to Renewing the Canadian-American Partnership, then goes on to lay out a "plan of action" - both a way of getting things done but also what Robertson expects will actually happen, based on his research into what has been written and said on both sides of the border in recent decades.

The report envisions a much closer Canada-U.S. "partnership" than some Canadians might be prepared to accept.



Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/politics/insidepolitics/2011/02/report-offers-users-guide-to-renewing-canada-us-relationship.html

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February 3, 2011 4:25 PM

[saras]

1. Horrible deal for most Canadians

The people behind this plan want Canada to adopt all the stupid ideas that have so thoroughly destroyed America's economy - there's resources there to steal in abundance.

Of all the Canadians I know, about as many support Harper as American friends support Glenn Beck.

[Fokker Trip]

2. The US is going to absolutley rape our country. Its a corporate wet dream.

Water, wood, oil, uranium to name but a few. This will also wipe out all of Canadas current regulations and replace them with FDA regs.

When the South West runs low on water where are they going to get more?

We will in time loose our health care system as getting rid of it and going all private is our theocratic thug Harper's great ambition. It will probably be lost through some kind of trade ruling as "not competing fairly".

We'll get all the oppression of the US security state(we already have some of that, now we get the rest)and none of the chance to vote for the US president.

We don't want to be more a part of the US than we already are.

[applegrove]

3. I concur. And welcome to the DU.

:hi:

[glinda]

4. Yes. You are right. I think Ca. needs to work hard now to get rid of Harper as well as Murdoch/Fox

and to run the rotten Americans out of Canada that are raping you land, your HC system and your spirit. There are many Americans here that will support you in Canada that want change. We should all band together for common goals good for the environment and good for the people.

[mahigan]

5. Closer integration

For Canadians, closer integration with the US is the polite way of saying tying us more securely to the deck rail of the Titanic. Harmonization of laws and regulations does not mean the two countries sit down and negotiate a compromise. It means we adopt US laws and regulations in full.

This report says "We live in an age of terrorism". I call bullshit. An age of manufactured terrorism perhaps. But even that does not alter the fact that more Americans will be murdered by other Americans between New Year's Day and May Day of any given year than have ever been killed by terrorists.

Unlike Stephen "Demon Spawn" Harper and his Republican Party (Canada) Inc., there is not a single damn item on which I want to see closer integration with the government of the Excited States.