Ottawa wanted all of Canada speaking with one voice on NAFTA: emails

OTTAWA, ON. (NEWS 1130) – The Liberal government has been orchestrating the Canadian approach to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) talks so carefully that at one point, Ottawa issued talking points to help ensure even the provinces and territories were all speaking with one voice.

The email inbox of Steve Verheul, Canada’s chief NAFTA negotiator, shows the Department of Foreign Affairs had prepared message lines for other levels of government on the day last summer that the US first released goals for a new trilateral deal.

The package included facts and figures on how the US benefits from trade with Canada, but suggested little be said when asked about specific topics.


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The Liberal government also expected the provinces and territories to mention that modernizing the 1994 agreement with the US and Mexico would give Canada the chance to push for “progressive, free and fair approaches” to trade and investment on the continent.

The Canadian Press obtained the emails in response to an access-to-information request.

A government official says renegotiating NAFTA is a federal prerogative, but it makes sense to work closely with the provinces and territories every step of the way.

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