Bitten by the Deal That Once Fed Us

US Democrats’ criticism of the North American Free Trade Agreement during the presidential primaries has sparked concern in Canada that a Barack Obama White House might seek to renegotiate that trade deal on terms more favorable to the United States. That means Canada and Mexico could also tinker with the terms as well. Writing for the Global and Mail, Gordon Laxer argues that Canadians should welcome a new look at the trade agreement. NAFTA’s “energy proportionality” provision requires Canada to offer a majority of its oil and gas to the United States, even at the expense of Canada’s own energy needs. With the facing a new era of energy scarcity, Canada would prefer securing control over its own energy resources. Attempts to renegotiate NAFTA could cause the trade agreement to crumble, leaving Canada, the United States and Mexico back at square one. – YaleGlobal