Take firm NAFTA stand

No deal is better than a bad deal. Let this be Canada’s guiding motto as it begins renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement in Washington this week, with the unpredictable, heavy-handed U.S. President Donald Trump looming and tweeting in the background.

Canada’s economic future will be determined, for better or for worse, by how well Canada handles these delicate, complicated talks with our American and Mexican partners. Considering that three-quarters of Canada’s exports go south of the border, that NAFTA has enriched Canada since it was passed in 1994 and that countless Canadian businesses are inextricably intertwined with others in the U.S. and Mexico, let’s hope these talks work out for the better. But what if they don’t? Canada needs to draw a line in the sand. First, and most importantly, a renegotiated trade deal must offer a fair dispute-solving mechanism such as the one that’s currently a cornerstone of NAFTA.

Second, Canada must reject the U.S. insistence on writing “Buy American” policies into any new deal. Such provisions would limit the ability of Canadian and Mexican companies to bid on U.S. procurement contracts. Yet the Americans would be guaranteed access to similar projects in Canada and Mexico. That’s just not fair.

While tough talks lie ahead, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has done a superb job laying the groundwork, with months of lobbying state governments to show the enormous value of trade and how the three economies are so interconnected that disrupting these links would hurt everyone.

Canada might have to give something to keep the best of NAFTA — access to our dairy market, for instance.

We hope wise and level heads in Washington will heed the strong arguments for a new trade deal that’s fair to every partner. If not, Trudeau should stick to his guns and — if the Americans cross the line — walk away.