http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nafta-council-canada-ambrose-moore-1.4232320
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![Cyril Topham-Pitt]()
Cyril Topham-Pitt
![David Raymond Amos]()
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![Dale Sullivan]()
Dale Sullivan
![David Allan]()
![David Raymond Amos]()
![Former opposition leader Rona Ambrose is among 13 Canadians on a new non-partisan NAFTA advisory council announced today.]()
![U.S. President Donald Trump, right, reassured Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about NAFTA when the two met in February. A leaked transcript shows Trump also downplayed trade issues with Canada during a January phone call with Mexico's president.]()
Ambrose, ex-Tory minister Moore on Liberal government's NAFTA advisory council
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Commenting is now closed for this story.
Cyril Topham-Pitt
One thing is for sure, no other party leader, other than Trudeau, would create a cross party council. Smart move.
David Raymond Amos
@Cyril Topham-Pitt Smart move??? I disagree However trust that I am already highly entertained
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trump-transcript-nafta-canada-comments-mexico-1.4233680
Leaked Trump phone call: 'Don't worry about Canada,' says he's happy with trade
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Commenting is now closed for this story.
Dale Sullivan
Trump is not credible and no one should believe anything he says.
David Allan
@Frank Strzalkowski
"Say what you want but I think NAFTA will turn into SHAFTA for us."
You're not really thinking it through.
America needs our lumber. America is re-built with Canadian lumber. Advantage, Canada.
America wants our oil. They're building Keystone. What are they going to connect it to? Advantage, Canada.
America wants access to our dairy market. We're getting European dairy. We have enough. Advantage, Canada.
Honestly, what's on the table that doesn't favour Canada?
"Say what you want but I think NAFTA will turn into SHAFTA for us."
You're not really thinking it through.
America needs our lumber. America is re-built with Canadian lumber. Advantage, Canada.
America wants our oil. They're building Keystone. What are they going to connect it to? Advantage, Canada.
America wants access to our dairy market. We're getting European dairy. We have enough. Advantage, Canada.
Honestly, what's on the table that doesn't favour Canada?
David Raymond Amos
@David Allan I always considered NAFTA as SHAFTA and so did the liberals for a bit
http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2653709009
Mulroney battles Turner on free trade in 1988
Digital Archives October 25, 1988
An invigorated John Turner takes on Brian Mulroney over his controversial free trade deal with the U.S.
I was quoted in the news papers saying this about NAFTA etc when I ran in the election of the 38th Parliament in 2004
http://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.ca/2017/04/attn-wilbur-l-ross-jr-i-just-called.html
The Unconventional Candidate
David Amos Isn’t Campaigning For Your Vote, But….
By Gisele McKnight Editor Kings County Record
"Ironically, the man who is running for office has never voted in his life.
"But I have no right to criticize unless I offer my name," he said. "It’s alright to bitch in the kitchen, but can you walk the walk?"
Amos has no intention of actively campaigning.
"I didn’t appreciate it when they (politicians) pounded on my door interrupting my dinner," he said. "If people are interested, they can call me. I’m not going to drive my opinions down their throats."
And he has no campaign budget, nor does he want one.
"I won’t take any donations," he said. "Just try to give me some. It’s not about money. It goes against what I’m fighting about."
What he’s fighting for is the discussion of issues – tainted blood, the exploitation of the Maritimes’ gas and oil reserves and NAFTA, to name a few.
"The political issues in the Maritimes involve the three Fs – fishing, farming and forestry, but they forget foreign issues," he said. "I’m death on NAFTA, the back room deals and free trade. I say chuck it (NAFTA) out the window."
http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2653709009
Mulroney battles Turner on free trade in 1988
Digital Archives October 25, 1988
An invigorated John Turner takes on Brian Mulroney over his controversial free trade deal with the U.S.
I was quoted in the news papers saying this about NAFTA etc when I ran in the election of the 38th Parliament in 2004
http://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.ca/2017/04/attn-wilbur-l-ross-jr-i-just-called.html
The Unconventional Candidate
David Amos Isn’t Campaigning For Your Vote, But….
By Gisele McKnight Editor Kings County Record
"Ironically, the man who is running for office has never voted in his life.
"But I have no right to criticize unless I offer my name," he said. "It’s alright to bitch in the kitchen, but can you walk the walk?"
Amos has no intention of actively campaigning.
"I didn’t appreciate it when they (politicians) pounded on my door interrupting my dinner," he said. "If people are interested, they can call me. I’m not going to drive my opinions down their throats."
And he has no campaign budget, nor does he want one.
"I won’t take any donations," he said. "Just try to give me some. It’s not about money. It goes against what I’m fighting about."
What he’s fighting for is the discussion of issues – tainted blood, the exploitation of the Maritimes’ gas and oil reserves and NAFTA, to name a few.
"The political issues in the Maritimes involve the three Fs – fishing, farming and forestry, but they forget foreign issues," he said. "I’m death on NAFTA, the back room deals and free trade. I say chuck it (NAFTA) out the window."
Ambrose, ex-Tory minister Moore on Liberal government's NAFTA advisory council
Team Canada approach by Chrystia Freeland draws on political rivals and industry, Indigenous leaders
By Joan Bryden, The Canadian PressPosted: Aug 02, 2017 1:44 PM ET
Former opposition leader Rona Ambrose is among 13 Canadians on a new non-partisan NAFTA advisory council announced today. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
While Liberals and Conservatives trade accusations that they're hurting Canada's position in the imminent renegotiation of NAFTA, the Trudeau government has tapped the Tories' former interim leader, Rona Ambrose, to help advise on the trilateral trade deal.
Ambrose is one of 13 members of a newly created advisory council on the North American Free Trade Agreement, announced Wednesday by Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Other members include James Moore, a former minister in the previous Conservative government, and Brian Topp, a veteran NDP strategist, one-time NDP leadership contender and former chief of staff to Alberta's NDP premier, Rachel Notley.
The membership is designed to demonstrate that the government is taking a unified, non-partisan, Team Canada approach to the negotiations, which are set to start Aug. 16.
The council also includes representatives of various groups that have the most at stake in the negotiations, among them, Canadian Labour Congress president Hassan Yussuff; Linda Hasenfratz, CEO of automotive parts manufacturer Linamar Corp., and Marcel Groleau, president of Quebec's union of agricultural producers.
![Labour Rights Fight 20150905]()
Freeland also announced Wednesday the appointment of one of Canada's foremost trade experts, Kirsten Hillman, as deputy ambassador to the United States, and three new trade-savvy consuls general to be located in Atlanta, Seattle and San Francisco.
"With the expansion of our consular presence in the United States and the creation of the NAFTA council, we are furthering Canada's determination to promote Canadian interests and values in our bilateral relations with our main economic partner," Freeland said in a written statement.
![Kirsten Hillman]()
Other members of the council include Perry Bellegarde, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Annette Verschuren, former president of Home Depot, and Phyllis Yaffe, former chair of Cineplex Entertainment and CEO of Alliance Atlantis who is currently serving as Canada's consul general in New York City.
The inclusion of Ambrose, who retired from politics in May, comes amid a squabble between Liberals and Conservatives over which party has done the most damage to Canada's position in the U.S. just as NAFTA negotiations are about to begin.
The Liberals have accused the Tories of undermining Canada by savaging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the American media over his decision to compensate Omar Khadr, a Canadian citizen who was imprisoned and tortured at the notorious U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after allegedly killing an American soldier during a firefight in Afghanistan when he was just 15 years old.
Trudeau himself has chided the Conservatives for campaigning in the U.S. against the Khadr payment.
"When I deal with the United States, I leave the domestic squabbles at home. Other parties don't seem to have that rule, but I think it's one Canadians appreciate," he said last month.
Newly minted Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has scoffed at suggestions the cross-border anti-Khadr campaign will rile Americans against Canada just as NAFTA talks get underway.
And the Tories have, in turn, accused Trudeau of hurting Canada's position by giving an interview to Rolling Stone magazine, which featured a cover photo of the prime minister last week with the caption "Why can't he be our president?" Conservatives have said the article amounts to poking mercurial President Donald Trump in the eye.
"Why does Mr. Trudeau need to do this right now, when it does put in danger the direction and the commencement of these negotiations?" deputy Conservative leader Lisa Raitt told the Globe and Mail.
The Prime Minister's Office has called that accusation "absurd."
Ambrose is one of 13 members of a newly created advisory council on the North American Free Trade Agreement, announced Wednesday by Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Other members include James Moore, a former minister in the previous Conservative government, and Brian Topp, a veteran NDP strategist, one-time NDP leadership contender and former chief of staff to Alberta's NDP premier, Rachel Notley.
The membership is designed to demonstrate that the government is taking a unified, non-partisan, Team Canada approach to the negotiations, which are set to start Aug. 16.
- NAFTA talks: Trump administration announces Aug. 16 start date in D.C.
- Trudeau 'not working hard enough' on NAFTA file, says Scheer
The council also includes representatives of various groups that have the most at stake in the negotiations, among them, Canadian Labour Congress president Hassan Yussuff; Linda Hasenfratz, CEO of automotive parts manufacturer Linamar Corp., and Marcel Groleau, president of Quebec's union of agricultural producers.
Hassan Yussuff, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, will also be on the council. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)
Trade expert named deputy ambassador to U.S.
Freeland also announced Wednesday the appointment of one of Canada's foremost trade experts, Kirsten Hillman, as deputy ambassador to the United States, and three new trade-savvy consuls general to be located in Atlanta, Seattle and San Francisco.
"With the expansion of our consular presence in the United States and the creation of the NAFTA council, we are furthering Canada's determination to promote Canadian interests and values in our bilateral relations with our main economic partner," Freeland said in a written statement.
Deputy ambassador to the United States, Kirsten Hillman. (50x50movement.org)
The inclusion of Ambrose, who retired from politics in May, comes amid a squabble between Liberals and Conservatives over which party has done the most damage to Canada's position in the U.S. just as NAFTA negotiations are about to begin.
NAFTA not immune from domestic politics
The Liberals have accused the Tories of undermining Canada by savaging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the American media over his decision to compensate Omar Khadr, a Canadian citizen who was imprisoned and tortured at the notorious U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after allegedly killing an American soldier during a firefight in Afghanistan when he was just 15 years old.
- Trump administration reveals goals ahead of NAFTA talks
- ANALYSIS | After Trump's tough talk, NAFTA proposals look more like light reno than demolition
Trudeau himself has chided the Conservatives for campaigning in the U.S. against the Khadr payment.
"When I deal with the United States, I leave the domestic squabbles at home. Other parties don't seem to have that rule, but I think it's one Canadians appreciate," he said last month.
Newly minted Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has scoffed at suggestions the cross-border anti-Khadr campaign will rile Americans against Canada just as NAFTA talks get underway.
And the Tories have, in turn, accused Trudeau of hurting Canada's position by giving an interview to Rolling Stone magazine, which featured a cover photo of the prime minister last week with the caption "Why can't he be our president?" Conservatives have said the article amounts to poking mercurial President Donald Trump in the eye.
"Why does Mr. Trudeau need to do this right now, when it does put in danger the direction and the commencement of these negotiations?" deputy Conservative leader Lisa Raitt told the Globe and Mail.
The Prime Minister's Office has called that accusation "absurd."
Leaked Trump phone call: 'Don't worry about Canada,' says he's happy with trade
But since that January phone call with Mexican president, White House has identified some issues with Canada
By Alexander Panetta, The Canadian PressPosted: Aug 03, 2017 11:29 AM ET
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, reassured Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about NAFTA when the two met in February. A leaked transcript shows Trump also downplayed trade issues with Canada during a January phone call with Mexico's president. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
A leaked transcript of a Donald Trump phone call shows the president's private comments about trade with Canada, and suggests he had an overwhelmingly positive attitude about the northern neighbour as he took office.
The purported remarks made in a private phone call from late January are every bit as flattering as the president's public comments just days later when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the White House.
They came in a call with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and were part of a leaked transcript published Thursday by the Washington Post. The context for the exchange was Trump's bitter and escalating feud with Mexico at the time.
U.S.-Mexico relations had just reached their nadir over the proposed border wall, and who would pay for it. Pena Nieto cancelled a trip to Washington.
In the call, Trump told the Mexican president that he got huge crowds during the campaign, and had promised throngs of 25,000 to 50,000 people that Mexico would pay for the wall, so he pleaded with the Mexican president not to publicly contradict him on the issue.
![Obama US Canada Mexico]()
Pena Nieto encouraged a more positive discussion: He supposedly urged Trump to focus on the fact that the three NAFTA countries could negotiate a new trade framework. That prompted a rejoinder from the president.
"Canada is no problem," Trump replied, according to the leaked transcript.
"Do not worry about Canada, do not even think about them. That is a separate thing and they are fine and we have had a very fair relationship with Canada. It has been much more balanced and much more fair. So we do not have to worry about Canada, we do not even think about them."
Those remarks echo public comments he made a few days later at a news conference with Trudeau. His rhetoric has ebbed and flowed since then. Trump has complained about Canadian dairy and lumber policies, and often threatens to scrap NAFTA barring a new deal.
The reality entering trade talks is a bit more mundane.
The Prime Minister's Office meanwhile refused to comment on the leak issuing a statement saying it welcomes "the modernization of NAFTA."
"We don't comment on leaks," said Cameron Ahmad, the PMO's manager of media relations. " As we have said all along, Canada and the United States have built the most peaceful and mutually beneficial partnership in the world – one that supports millions of middle class jobs in both countries."
The U.S. has posted its priorities for the NAFTA negotiations starting Aug. 16, and they lie somewhere between the two extremes of the everything-is-fine attitude in that January phone call and the more aggressive talk favoured by some Trump advisers and occasionally the president himself.
The U.S. positions include a laundry list of traditional American demands when it comes to Canadian trade. Most of the U.S. NAFTA demands could be found on annual lists published by the U.S. government, year after year.
Those demands include more access for U.S. dairy and wine on Canadian store shelves; freer trade in telecommunications and banking; stricter patent rules for drugs; and tax cuts for online shopping of imported U.S. goods.
Other priorities dear to the Trump administration include changes to auto-parts rules and the dispute-settlement process.
A Canadian trade expert doesn't put much stock in those January quotes. That's because the president's tune has changed, and could change again, said Peter Clark, a former federal official and now president of Grey, Clark, Shih and Associates.
"That was then, this is now," Clark said in an interview. "I think (Trump) was pretty relaxed about Canada early in the year... He's got his neck out now on dairy, on lumber...
"He's only as reliable as his last tweet, or his last phone call."
Late Thursday, the Prime Minister's Office said Trudeau hosted a NAFTA call with his provincial and territorial counterparts, during which they pledged "to ensure that the message about the value of NAFTA and the trade relationship with Canada is understood by key U.S. decision makers."
The purported remarks made in a private phone call from late January are every bit as flattering as the president's public comments just days later when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the White House.
They came in a call with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and were part of a leaked transcript published Thursday by the Washington Post. The context for the exchange was Trump's bitter and escalating feud with Mexico at the time.
- Liberals to step up NAFTA charm offensive in Washington come September
- Ambrose, Moore on Liberal government's NAFTA advisory council
U.S.-Mexico relations had just reached their nadir over the proposed border wall, and who would pay for it. Pena Nieto cancelled a trip to Washington.
In the call, Trump told the Mexican president that he got huge crowds during the campaign, and had promised throngs of 25,000 to 50,000 people that Mexico would pay for the wall, so he pleaded with the Mexican president not to publicly contradict him on the issue.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Neito's attempts to steer Trump in a positive direction appeared to have the opposite effect. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press)
"Canada is no problem," Trump replied, according to the leaked transcript.
"Do not worry about Canada, do not even think about them. That is a separate thing and they are fine and we have had a very fair relationship with Canada. It has been much more balanced and much more fair. So we do not have to worry about Canada, we do not even think about them."
Those remarks echo public comments he made a few days later at a news conference with Trudeau. His rhetoric has ebbed and flowed since then. Trump has complained about Canadian dairy and lumber policies, and often threatens to scrap NAFTA barring a new deal.
The reality entering trade talks is a bit more mundane.
The Prime Minister's Office meanwhile refused to comment on the leak issuing a statement saying it welcomes "the modernization of NAFTA."
"We don't comment on leaks," said Cameron Ahmad, the PMO's manager of media relations. " As we have said all along, Canada and the United States have built the most peaceful and mutually beneficial partnership in the world – one that supports millions of middle class jobs in both countries."
U.S. readies demands for talks
The U.S. has posted its priorities for the NAFTA negotiations starting Aug. 16, and they lie somewhere between the two extremes of the everything-is-fine attitude in that January phone call and the more aggressive talk favoured by some Trump advisers and occasionally the president himself.
The U.S. positions include a laundry list of traditional American demands when it comes to Canadian trade. Most of the U.S. NAFTA demands could be found on annual lists published by the U.S. government, year after year.
Those demands include more access for U.S. dairy and wine on Canadian store shelves; freer trade in telecommunications and banking; stricter patent rules for drugs; and tax cuts for online shopping of imported U.S. goods.
Other priorities dear to the Trump administration include changes to auto-parts rules and the dispute-settlement process.
A Canadian trade expert doesn't put much stock in those January quotes. That's because the president's tune has changed, and could change again, said Peter Clark, a former federal official and now president of Grey, Clark, Shih and Associates.
"That was then, this is now," Clark said in an interview. "I think (Trump) was pretty relaxed about Canada early in the year... He's got his neck out now on dairy, on lumber...
"He's only as reliable as his last tweet, or his last phone call."
Late Thursday, the Prime Minister's Office said Trudeau hosted a NAFTA call with his provincial and territorial counterparts, during which they pledged "to ensure that the message about the value of NAFTA and the trade relationship with Canada is understood by key U.S. decision makers."