Donald Trump Frequent meditations About Canada joining the United States It has – unsurprisingly – sparked opposition In Ottawa.
“There’s not a snowball’s chance in hell,” the Prime Minister responded. Justin TrudeauWhile the Minister of Finance Dominique Le Blanc “The joke is over,” he noted. Opposition leaders are similarly angry with Governor Pierre Poilievre Confirming “Canada will never be the 51st state” and New Democrat Jagmeet Singh I tell the next president “To cut the crap.”
However, the US president-elect remains unchanged Push Buttons Canada. He has suggested that the highly integrated economies and trade relationship between the two countries are exaggerated, and has claimed that the trade imbalance means the United States is subsidizing the economy of its northern neighbor.
In doing so, Trump highlighted persistent concerns raised by some on this side of the border: specifically, that Canada’s national sovereignty is at risk because of its close connection to the United States.
This is not a new concern — in fact, it will be familiar to anyone who remembers when Canada was first eyeing a free trade deal with the United States in the 1980s, long before Trump’s influence extended beyond Manhattan real estate.
The path to free trade
During Pierre Trudeau’s final years as Prime Minister, Canada began to consider pursuing a free trade deal with the United States.
The country has taken a hit Recession in the early 1980sIn 1982, A royal commission was establishedLed by Donald Macdonald, a former Liberal minister. One of its objectives was to study the future prospects and challenges of the Canadian economy.
When the commission’s report returned in 1985, it endorsed the vision of Canada seeking to move forward in free trade with the United States—with an emphasis on building improved and secure access to the American market, but nonetheless noted that “the denial of such access is a permanent violation of the American market.” . “The current threat.”
The MacDonald Report supported Canada’s vision of seeking to conclude a free trade agreement with the United States
The prime minister at the time was Brian Mulroney, whose Progressive Conservatives came to power At the expense of the liberals a year agowas fascinated by what the committee found.
“There is a degree of obvious hard work there and achievement and some very interesting ideas that should be carefully examined.” Mulroney said.
Some business leaders They were excited about the prospect about a future free trade agreement, while labor groups had strong concerns – including about the job losses that could occur.
Not all politicians were on board either.
“If we move toward free trade arrangements with the United States, I think the political consequences are very clear,” said Bob Rae, leader of the Ontario New Democrats.
“Don’t ask people elected at the regional or federal level to do a great job of running the economy because all those decisions will be made in New York, Chicago, and Washington, and we will simply become an agent of the United States.”
Reporter Mike Duffy explains how the last-minute deal was reached.
However, Ottawa entered into negotiations with Washington. A proposed deal was reached in October 1987, and a free trade agreement was signed by Mulroney and US President Ronald Reagan in January 1988.
But free trade has not yet entered into force.
Liberal Leader John Turner indicated that his party would not make it easier for the government to implement what he called the “Sell Canada Act.”
“We intend to fight across the country, and we intend to fight in Parliament,” Turner said. “We are determined to fight it every inch of the way.”
New Democratic leader Ed Broadbent said there had been no “open and honest debate” about the full details of what free trade would involve.
Margaret Thatcher’s position
Widespread discussion of the free trade debate even saw the participation of Margaret Thatcher, when the British Prime Minister visited Canada in June 1988.
In 1988, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher visited Canada and made some headlines with her statements about free trade when she was addressing members of Parliament in Ottawa.
Thatcher said: “There is no need to fear that Canada’s national character will be diminished in any way (in the pursuit of a free trade agreement).”
Her unwanted comment before Parliament will lead to the country’s opposition leaders summoning the so-called Iron Lady for her interference in internal politics.
“You have intervened in our national debate on an issue that is likely to dominate the next general election in this country,” Turner said later that day.
He added, “We are no longer a colony of Great Britain, and we do not want to become a colony of the United States.”
The NDP’s Broadbent wondered whether Thatcher had the right “to come here and interfere in Canadian affairs.”
Turner urged Mulroney to call an election to give Canadians a chance to comment on the issue. When the election was called at the beginning of October, Mulroney said free trade would be the focus of the campaign that would send Canadians to the polls the following month.
Free trade and national sovereignty
The Liberals and New Democrats quickly pushed for a televised debate dedicated just to the issue. But progressive conservatives did not accept this idea.
Broadbent noted that Mulroney understands that “the more Canadians learn about the trade agreement he negotiated with the United States, the more dissatisfied they will become with it.”
In 1988, the Liberals and New Democrats wanted a televised debate focusing solely on the issue of free trade. Computers were cool for this idea.
The contentious topic was already part of the debate clashes that came between the leaders — including concerns about how the agreement would affect Canada’s national sovereignty.
Turner said a shift to free trade would limit Canada’s ability to maneuver from under U.S. control.
“I think you have betrayed us,” Turner told Mulroney during the English-language debate on October 25, 1988.
In response, Mulroney denied the accusation and said that his liberal opponent “does not have a monopoly on patriotism.”
Report by Don Newman and Wendy Mesley on the leaders’ debate with Brian Mulroney, John Turner and Ed Broadbent. It was broadcast on October 25, 1988 on CBC’s The National.
Mulroney’s Conservatives will return to power – again with a large majority, but with fewer seats than before.
The 1988 election would be the last in which Mulroney, Turner and Broadbent would lead their parties.
Turner He died in September 2020. both of them Broadbent and Mulroney He died in 2024. The pitched battle over free trade was part of their legacy as federal leaders.
The original free trade agreement between Canada and the United States entered into force on the first day of 1989.
Five years later, It was replaced by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Then in April 2020, it was NAFTA It has been replaced by CUSMA – Canada-United States-Mexico Trade Agreement – which was negotiated at Trump’s request during his first term in the White House.
After his re-election in November, Trump issued notice that he would impose 25% tariffs on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico. This threat, along with his subsequent statements about the “51st term,” was viewed by some as a signal of his intention to renegotiate CUSMA.
On New Year’s Eve 1988, the CBC reports on a free trade agreement that will go into effect the next day.
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