SACPA Session - Is Canada Likely to get Trumped during the Current NAFTA Negotiations?

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The Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA) presents a session with University of Lethbridge political scientist Dr. Chris Kukucha as he discusses issues related to the current NAFTA negotiations.

Is Canada Likely to get Trumped during the Current NAFTA Negotiations?

Date:                   Thursday, April 26, 2018
Time:                   Doors open 11:30 a.m., Presentation 12 noon, buffet lunch 12:30 p.m., Q&A 1 – 1:30 p.m.
Location:             Royal Canadian Legion (north door) 324 Mayor Magrath Dr. S. Lethbridge
Cost:                    $14 buffet lunch with desert & coffee/tea/juice or $2 coffee/tea/juice. RSVP not required

In 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came into effect, creating one of the world’s largest free trade zones at that time and arguably laying the foundation for strong economic growth and rising prosperity for Canada, the United States and Mexico. However, since Donald Trump became U.S. President last year, renegotiating NAFTA along with other trade deals, has been high on his agenda.

The original NAFTA took 14 months to negotiate and just as long to ratify. The current negotiations are into their eighth month and of the roughly 30 chapters to complete, many are not agreed upon. That's too slow, current U.S. trade czar Robert Lighthizer, said at the close of a recent negotiating session in Mexico City.

The Trump administration is hoping to complete negotiations by May, 2018 so that the agreement can be ratified before opposition Democrats have a chance to regain control of Congress and/or the Senate in January, 2019.  Mexican presidential hopeful Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador could also hurt progress on a NAFTA deal if it’s not completed soon, should he be elected later this year.

The speaker will untangle the web of possible scenarios surrounding NAFTA negotiations and speculate on its final outcome, including the potential of Canada getting caught up in a trade war with U.S.

Speaker:             Dr. Chris Kukucha

Christopher J. Kukucha is a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Lethbridge.  He is the author of The Provinces and Canadian Foreign Trade Policy and a co-editor of several books including The Harper Era in Canadian Foreign Policy (Adam Chapnick), International Political Economy (Greg Anderson), and the third edition of Readings in Canadian Foreign Policy (Duane Bratt).

Chris also served as the William J. Fulbright Research Chair in Canadian Studies at the State University of New York (Plattsburgh) and is a past President of the International Studies Association of Canada.

Moderator:        Austin Fennell

For more information on the Southern Alberta Counciul on Public Affairs, visit the SACPA website.

Room or Area: 
Royal Canadian Legion

Contact:

Trevor Kenney | trevor.kenney@uleth.ca | 403-329-2710 | sacpa.ca