Obama plans on re-negotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA. At one point during the primary he was criticized by the Clinton campaign regarding one of Obama's "aids" saying one thing to a Canadian representative behind closed doors and Obama saying the opposite during a campaign rally in Ohio. Obama often talks about corporations that move jobs overseas, but some of those companies have moved jobs to Canada and Mexico and have good reason to move jobs. Also, during the last debate Obama showed a lack of understanding regarding trade with Columbia. I am concerned about Obama's lack of clarity regarding NAFTA and free trade. I imagine Canadians are also.
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Canada and the European Union will move closer to freer trade on services today with a commitment to start formal talks next year on an "economic partnership" designed in part to ease Canadian trade dependence on the beleaguered U.S. economy.
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reportonbusiness.com: Ottawa, EU seek new trade pact
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For one thing, Canadian exporters are learning -- again, and to their chagrin -- that there's a great cost in having too many eggs in one basket. Nearly 90 per cent of our trade is with the U.S., and when that market tanks, we suffer serious collateral damage.
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Time for a trade deal with European Union
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Peru and Colombia, frustrated by slow region-to-region free trade talks between the EU and South America's four Andean countries, have formally asked Brussels to pursue swifter bilateral negotiations with them. The free-market presidents of Peru and Colombia made the proposal this month, trade officials told Reuters, underscoring their split with Bolivia and Ecuador, whose leftist leaders are more wary of liberalising trade with Europe.
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So, as Obama talks about "protectionism" to save jobs, others are working on opening markets for trade. Where is Obama going to lead us? Are labor unions going to drive his agenda? Is his obsession with corporations moving jobs from one place or another due to business reasons going to cloud his judgment regarding the real issue of keeping American workers and business competitive in the world?