NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) and its predecessor, the CFTA (U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement), were designed to make the North American market more efficient and thereby enhance the economic well-being of the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The principal means to achieve this objective was to foster integration of the three countries' markets by eliminating trade and investment barriers that interfered with fundamental economic forces and inhibited the international competitiveness of each NAFTA member.
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Despite the progress made, more could be done to deepen market integration within North America, as the continental market remains more segmented than the individual national economies of the United States, Canada and Mexico.
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Here are some concrete ways for us to advance the struggle against free trade:
Resist the broadening and deepening of NAFTA. We can address current problems like congestion at the Canada/U.S. border with sensible, incremental investments in border infrastructure and other bilateral initiatives, without giving up our ability to set our own policies on security, immigration, and tariffs.
Oppose the efforts of groups, such as the Council of Chief Executives, who want to integrate Canada more fully are permanently with the U.S. through a customs union, a common security perimeter, a common currency, or other initiatives that would dramatically undermine our national independence.
Strengthen our links with Mexican unions and social movements through both specific sectoral projects and broader initiatives.
Strengthen our ties with other unions and social groups throughout the Americas.
Continue our fight against the Free Trade Area of the Americas, and against global initiatives (like the current WTO negotiations).
Continue, through our education programs and communications, to publicize the lessons of NAFTA and to challenge the logic of the race to the bottom.
Develop economic and trade alternatives on a sectoral and continental basis such as a proposal for a new North American auto pact that would strengthen protections for the auto industry in all 3 NAFTA countries against offshore imports.
Demand that our trade negotiators play a more accountable role in future trade negotiations, instead of giving away so much at the last minute.
Demand social and economic progress from our governments, whether or not they violate the real or perceived limits of current trade rules. For example, we should keep fighting for public auto insurance; it is unlikely that the NAFTA would really prevent us from implementing public insurance, but in any event thats no reason not to do it.
Demand changes to the most offensive aspects of free trade (like abolishing NAFTAs Chapter 11), as a precursor to abolishing and replacing those treaties altogether.