Trade

La Via Campesina response to USMCA

The original North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA, or TLCAN) devastated rural communities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. From displacing peasants in Mexico and forcing millions of them to migrate north, to the forced removal of trade protections for family farmers in Canada and the United States, the 1990s experiment with free trade Read more

Union Farmer Quarterly: Summer 2019

In this issue: Messages from the Editorial Advisory Committee, President Katie Ward, Women’s President Toby Malloy, Youth President Stuart Oke; Regional Coordinators It’s a blast from the past! In celebration of the NFU’s 50th Anniversary, we are profiling some of the folks who have held national elected positions over the years, including Urban Laughlin – Read more

French politicians should not ratify CETA

We echo our French counterparts’ call on members of the National Assembly and Senate to vote against ratifying CETA because it does not offer safeguards needed to fight the major social problems of the 21st century: climate change and social inequality. Read more

Op-Ed: Oil, dairy supply management paradox points to need for a new policy direction

On December 2, the Alberta government announced it will impose production discipline on the province’s oil companies to bring the price of bitumen-based oil above its cost of production. This came in response to it being discounted by over $50 per barrel compared to higher-grade West Texas Intermediate oil. Falling prices would soon cause oil Read more

Letter to Prime Minister urging Canada not to sign new NAFTA agreement in its present form

November 29, 2018 The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau P.C., M.P., Prime Minister of Canada House of Commons Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 Dear Prime Minister, Re: NFU urges Canada to not sign new NAFTA agreement on November 30, 2018 The National Farmers Union (NFU) urges Canada not to sign the new NAFTA agreement in Buenos Aires Read more

NFU urges Canada not to sign new NAFTA in its present form

(Saskatoon) – Today the National Farmers Union (NFU) sent a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Freeland urging them not to sign the new NAFTA agreement in its present form. “It has recently come to light that the published text – which is available only on the US Trade Representatives website and Read more

USMCA

The United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement

USMCA goes against Canada’s grain

The USMCA grain section requires Canada to give imported US wheat the same grade as our own, and would prevent Canada from identifying country of origin for US wheat on our grade certificates. To implement these measures, we would have to amend the Canada Grain Act, but The Canada Grain Act requirements are the foundation of Canada’s reputation for quality assured grain. Read more

As if the USMCA dairy concessions were not bad enough…

It is deeply concerning, though not surprising, that the proposed United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) has at least three chapters that formally entrench corporate influence on government decision-making. Read more

Canadian dairy farmers hit yet again with new trade agreement, says NFU

The Canadian government again secured a trade deal by sacrificing another vital part of domestic supply management. NAFTA will be replaced with a new trade agreement, now called USMCA, the US Mexico Canada Agreement. Read more