Canada needs to develop a new role for itself on the world stage in trade relations and other areas where multilateral relationships exist, says the head of a national business lobby group.
The now-certainty of a new administration in Ottawa, led by prime minister-in-waiting Paul Martin, is a prime opportunity to draft a new model for global engagement and improved trade relations with the U.S. and the world, says former federal cabinet minister Perrin Beatty.
Beatty, now the president and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters and head of the Coalition for Secure and Trade Efficient Borders, was in Calgary and Edmonton last week as part of Alberta Manufacturing Week.
Beatty recently attended the World Trade Organization meetings in Cancun, which ended in disarray after rich and poor nations failed to reach consensus on the issues of agricultural subsidies and investment.
The collapse of Cancun “is a lost opportunity to improve the standard of living for countless millions of people,” Beatty told a luncheon of the Exporters and Importers Association of Calgary.
“If the world moves toward more bilateral or regional agreements, developing countries will be left behind.
“We should be guided by hope for the future, instead of by fear,” he added. Increased trade “creates economic growth that can lift starving people out of poverty.”
In the wake of 9/11 and in the shadow of an increasingly protectionist U.S., Canada needs to redouble its efforts to improve its business relationships in North America and worldwide, Beatty said. It’s apparent, he added, that political ties between Canada and the U.S. have become strained over the Iraq war and other issues, but those irritants shouldn’t be allowed to “contaminate” the business relationship.
“It’s clear we have paid a price over how it was handled,” he said.
A new leader in Ottawa offers a fresh opportunity to assess the economic and social impacts of Canadian policy on the U.S., Beatty believes.
In turn, he said, participation in NAFTA, the Free Trade Area of the Americas, the WTO and the United Nations are Canada’s safeguard against unilateral action which could hurt its interests. It must also continue to work on unfinished hot-button differences in areas including anti-dumping laws, countervailing duties, agriculture and softwood lumber.
