U.S. governors lobby for NAFTA, before key fall mid-term elections
WASHINGTON — Canadians are getting a close-up view this week on how American state governors are working to preserve NAFTA by trying to dissuade President Donald Trump from starting the withdrawal process.
Their lobby effort has gotten scant attention in Canada.
While Canadians have tended to notice so-called charm offensive trips to the U.S. by their prime minister, premiers and cabinet members, there are several reminders this week that influential American politicians are also working the file.
The top elected officials in crucial midterm election states have added their voices to the chorus calling for a cautious approach on trade. They have lobbied the president and vice-president directly and they will likely make similar arguments as they arrive in Washington for annual governors’ meetings starting Friday.
This week, the governor of a state that could play a pivotal role in next fall’s Senate race devoted a speech to trade with Canada and Mexico. Arizona’s Doug Ducey said he wants more trade — not less.
“Nearly 150,000 jobs in our state result directly from trade and investment in Canada,” he said. “Or said another way, that’s nearly one in 20 jobs in our state.”
With the president’s party controlling the Senate by just one seat and the Senate holding not only the power to pass or block legislation, but also to confirm nominees to federal positions including the Supreme Court, the race in Arizona to replace the departing Sen. Jeff Flake is one of several to watch later this year.
It’s not the only such state. A map from the pro-market American Enterprise Institute shows international trade counts for more than 10 per cent of the economy in numerous states with Senate races this fall including: Arizona, Texas, Nevada, Indiana, Tennessee, Michigan, Washington, Montana and North Dakota, among others.
Some of these states are staunchly pro-trade.
For example, in Texas both Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and his Democratic challenger support NAFTA. A poll of 1,000 Texans last year for Texas Lyceum found 43 per cent of respondents saying NAFTA has been good for the Texas economy and just 24 per cent saying it was bad.
With those mid-terms approaching, the Trump administration has lately been tamping down talk about ending NAFTA. It hasn’t fully shelved the idea of starting the withdrawal process, to press Canada and Mexico for a better deal.
Canada’s ambassador says the international outreach has helped. David MacNaughton happened to be in Arizona this week for Ducey’s international-trade speech. On Friday, the Canadian embassy in Washington will host the premiers of Quebec and Ontario and a reception for state governors. He says the conversation on trade has shifted.
“I think what’s happened in the past is that the opponents (of trade) filled a vacuum and were very loud in their opposition,” MacNaughton said in an interview. “They haven’t gone away, but what’s happened is that those who are in favour of the agreement — an updated, modernized agreement — have now begun to speak up.
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, who are attending the governors’ meetings in Washington, will begin their visit with an event at the Washington International Trade Association. They will speak at a panel on trade with the governors of Colorado and the Mexican state of Queretaro.