Avoiding Short Cuts: A Detachment of Canada-United States Relations

(Originally published in Policy Options, 2003, Apr.) This article attempts to map out the interaction between three dimensions of integration between Canada & the US: access to markets; the integration of norms ranging from product standards to security procedures; & the control ("sovereignty") that Canada, as the much smaller partner, can realistically expect to exercise in the first two dimensions of integration. Many Canadian analysts have contended that now would be a good time for Canada to push for even greater access to the US market than that provided by the NAFTA. However, the author cautions that this push requires first a national debate on why Canada has not been more successful economically under the 1989 Canada-US Free Trade Agreement & the NAFTA. Among possible answers, the author suggests that it would be possible to adopt better domestic policies, rather than necessarily seek fully harmonization of a host of Canadian measures with those in the US. 1 Figure. Adapted from the source document.