The Facts on Free Trade

Publisher:  Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)
Year Published:  1988  
Pages:  128pp  
Resource Type:  Book
Cx Number:  CX3715

A thorough examination of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement's impact on Canada looks at a wide spectrum of questions.

Abstract:  This thorough examination of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement's impact on Canada looks at a wide spectrum of questions. Issues discussed include national identity, job losses, corporate culture, economic and political integration, the environment, the public sector, industries and natural resources, health care, labour, marginalization, and education. The booklet was published before the agreement was ratified, but the analysis it presents is becoming more relevant as the effects of the deal become clearer.

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Contents

PART I: A Bad Deal for Canada
Lots of Pain, No Gain: A "leap of faith" into the U.S. embrace - Jeff Rose
On Being Canadian. The question is: "Do we really want a country?" - Margaret Atwood
Jobs on the Line: The stakes for workers are intolerably high - Shirley Carr
Backing the Wrong Horse: Many more jobs will be lost than gained - John L. Orr
Corporate Colonization: In the free-traders' money game, nations don't count - Eric Kierans
A Constitutional Challenge: Ottawa can't force this deal on the provinces - Ian Scott
Economic Integration: The first step toward political affiliation to the U.S. - Bruce Wilkinson
Trade Deal Threatens Environment - Julia Langer

PART II: What Happened at the Table
Corporate Canada's Dream: Economic continentalism made a political reality - Daniel Drache
Gutting the Auto Pact: A surender of safeguards in a key industry - Bob White
A Smaller Public Sector: government programs and services face cutbacks - John Calvert
A Continental Energy Policy: We give up control of our oil and gas resources - John Dillon
Consumers Won't Benefit: The promise of a shopper's heaven is just a fairy tale - Riel Miller
A Bureaucratic Monstrosity: The Canada-U.S. Trade Commission may prove unworkable - Stephen Clarkson
Agricultural Concessions: Farmers and food industries lose more than they gain - John Warnock
The Fisheries Threatened: Fishing jobs and communities put at risk - Geoff Meggs

PART III: How the Deal Hurts
Americanizing Services: U.S. firms eager to run our institutions - for a profit - Marjorie Cohen
Health Care Endangered: Medicare won't survive the stampede for profits - Sean Usher
Labour Law Erosion: Our labour relations system also faces Americanization - Michael Lynk
Labour Movement Targeted: The impact on Canadian unions would be devastating - Gilbert Levine
Downgrading Education: Americanization will hurt our school system - Wilfred Brown
What Kind of Canada? Our culture is not protected under this deal, as promised - Rick Salutin
Provinces' Hands Tied: Canada's control of its resources would be curbed - Andrew Jackson
Regional Disparities: The deal will hurt, not help, the have-not provinces - Scott Sinclair
Industrial Policy Restricted: Canada would have little economic flexibility left - Hugh McKenzie
"Maritimizing" Canada: Speeding up the de-industrialization of our economy - Michael Clow
How Women Would Be Victimized: A Book Review - Sue Vohanka

PART IV: Defeating the Trade Deal
The BCNI Calls the Shots: Big corporations are pulling the Canada-U.S.trade strings - David Langille
Many Companies Don't Like It: The business community is not united behind this deal - Jim Conrad
Debate Stifled in Quebec: Support for trade deal based on lack of information - Peter Bakvis
The Pro-Canada Network: Building a coast-to-coast movement to block the deal - Tony Clarke
There are alternatives!: We can build a better Canada on our own - Steven Langdon
Together We Can Win: How to prevent the deal from being implemented - Dennis Howlett
Avoiding U.S. Colonization: We must defend the better society we've created in Canada - Ed Finn
Why I Don't Like this Trade Deal - Duncan Cameron

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