House International Trade Committee delivers platitudes on NAFTA, misses a golden opportunity

It wasn’t for lack of information. The committee held 12 days of hearings and heard from 66 business and other organizations, as well as individuals, along with Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and senior Canadian negotiators. The MPs visited nine different U.S. cities, from Seattle, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Denver to Detroit, Chicago, Columbus, Milwaukee and Washington. They had lots to work with—and could have demanded more. But they didn't.

Liberal MP Mark Eyking, chair of the House International Trade Committee. The disappointing committee's report raises questions about the value of House committees and their independence, writes David Crane. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

Opinion

BY DAVID CRANE

January 22, 2018

TORONTO—It was a golden opportunity for the House International Trade Committee to report on the future of NAFTA and to make recommendations on what our negotiators should and shouldn’t do. But what we got from the 10 MPs on the committee instead were largely platitudes. It wasn’t for lack of...

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