Free trade rhetoric has never matched reality

The constantly changing positions of politicians and their parties on free trade, on both sides of the border, are typical of discussions around the eternal political hot potato.

Mexico's Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland, and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer give a joint statement on Sept. 27, 2017 at the end of the third round of negotiations to rework the NAFTA. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY ANGELO PERSICHILLI

October 16, 2017

TORONTO—The North American Free Trade Agreement is a tool nobody likes, but everybody needs and uses it. Conversations among the partners are surreal. Since the beginning of the conversations in the late 1980s with the FTA (Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the U.S.), the politicking has al...

To keep reading, subscribe and become a political insider.

Only $7.76 a week for an annual subscription.

Enjoy unlimited website access and the digital newspaper.

Cancel anytime.

Already a Subscriber?

Get Weekend Point of View Newsletter

A round up of the past weekâ€™s opinion writers and columnists on Saturdays and Sundays.

By entering your email address you consent to receive email from The Hill Times containing news, analysis, updates and offers. You may unsubscribe at any time. See our privacy policy