(07/22/08) -

Many Canadians Want to Renegotiate NAFTA

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Public support for the reassessment of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has increased in Canada, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 52 per cent of respondents think their country should do whatever is necessary to renegotiate the terms of the commerce deal, up seven points since March.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Public support for the reassessment of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has increased in Canada, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 52 per cent of respondents think their country should do whatever is necessary to renegotiate the terms of the commerce deal, up seven points since March.

Conversely, 18 per cent of respondents want Canada to continue to be a member of NAFTA under the current terms, and 11 per cent believe the country should do whatever is necessary to leave the commerce deal.

In 1993, NAFTA brought Mexico into the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the U.S. that had been in place since 1989. The accord eliminated import tariffs on goods circulating among the three countries.

When asked which country has benefited the most from NAFTA, only seven per cent of respondents mention Canada, while 46 per cent say the U.S. has come out ahead, and 30 per cent think Mexico has done better.

Last month, Arizona senator John McCain—the presumptive presidential nominee for the Republican Party in this year’s U.S. election—discussed trade during a speech in Ottawa, saying, "Since NAFTA was concluded, it has contributed to strong job growth and flourishing trade. Since the agreement was signed, the United States has added 25 million jobs and Canada more than 4 million. Cross-border trade has more than doubled since NAFTA came into force. We have established North America as the world’s largest economic market and the integration of our economies has led to greater competitiveness of American and Canadian businesses. Because of our common market, our workers are better able to compete, and to find opportunities of their own in the global economy."

Polling Data

Which of these statements comes closest to your own point of view?

As you may know, Canada, the United States and Mexico have been partners in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) since 1994. Overall, which one of the three countries do you think has benefited the most from the agreement?

Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,009 Canadian adults, conducted on Jul. 16 and Jul. 17, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.