What ever happened to love of our closest ally?
Quote:
from The Economist of 18 September 2004
Late last month, a ruling of a dispute panel of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) demolished the United States' case for punitive tariffs, which is based on a claim that Canada's export [of soft wood] are subsidised. But Canadians are not celebrating yet. ...
In 2002, the United States Department of Commerce imposed countervailing and anti-dumping duties totalling 27% on Canadian imports. That forced Canada's lumber companies to shut some 50 mills and lay off thousands of workers. ...
In a series of rulings over the past two years, tribunals of the WTO and NAFTA have [both] upheld Canada's argument. On August 31st, the NAFTA tribunal (with three Americans and two Canadian members) made a final, unanimous, ruling. Yet again, it rejected the claim that Canada's allegedly subsidized exports pose a threat of material injury to the American industry. It gave the US International Trade Commission (ITC), a branch of the Department of Commerce, ten days to accept this. ...
Jim Peterson, Canada's trade minister ... said that the next step is for the US to revoke the duties, refund the C$3.4 billion paid by Canadian firms, and then discuss ways to avoid further disputes.
Fat chance. On September 10th, the ITC said it accepted the NAFTA ruling. But only grudgingly: it lambasted the tribunal for "overstepping its authority... and committing legal error". That seems to open the way for an extraordinary challenge to the ruling. ...
Canadians are left to wonder whether their neighbours rhetoric about free trade and the rule of law is just that.
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They expect god's choosen president to admit he made a mistake? He could not even do that in a nation wide, primetime TV news conference (which his advisors will not let him do again).
What all should wonder about is the massive numbers of decisions made by this George Jr administration to undermine and obstruct free trade. Many foolishly assume this administration advocates free trade. However the list of decisions against the US repeatedly since the mental midget because president is long, almost unanimous, and highlighted the by scandelous protection of anti-American steel companies (USX and Bethlehem Steel, et al). That obviously illegal steel trade tarrif was in outright violation of internation trade laws and to the detriment of some 20,000 to 40,000 American jobs in the productive American steel reprocessing industry. George Jr did not in hope of winning steel worker votes. Only dumb steel workers would thank Bush for only destroying more American jobs.
Why a love affair with an interrum Iraqi regiem? Because this president is alienating even our closest friends including Canada and what was suppose to be a close and personal George Jr friend - President Fox of Mexico. BTW, both Canada and Mexico openly opposed George Jr's unjustified Iraq war. Mexico doing this in the Security Council. Canada doing so verbally. Where is all this love? To have love, one must first have someone that can be loved. A mental midget president who snubs our closest ally deserves only contempt from Americans - from all three northern countries.