In the course of the current primary and caucus season in the United States, the Democratic contenders, both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, say they want to re-open NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) to deal with some perceived hardships faced by U.S. business.

The major issues are lower environmental and workplace safety standards in Mexico. Nevertheless, in Canada we’re still left shaking our heads in bewilderment. What more can Canadians do to satisfy our American friends on the trade front?

We’ve already lost Celine Dion to the bright lights of Las Vegas.

We’re sending you all our best comedians (Jim Carrey, Mike Myers and Seth Rogen).

Canada’s own Kiefer Sutherland (a.k.a. Jack Bauer) is protecting your President in 24-hour chunks at a time, when he’s not otherwise incarcerated.

In hockey, the Stanley Cup hasn’t been held in triumph on Canadian soil in years.

And now our currency has appreciated more than 60% versus the greenback over the past five years. The fact is, both countries are losing manufacturing jobs to low-labor-cost countries in Asia and elsewhere. Canada’s year-over-year manufacturing job decline is currently -7% versus the U.S. level of -2%.

There’s a saying in politics that a week is a lifetime. What’s being said now to win delegates in Ohio and Pennsylvania, two states in particular distress due to old-economy job losses, may well be “fine-tuned” by the time the Presidential election rolls around in November.

Alex Carrick

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