If there was ever a time to bolster trade in North America, says Canada’s former ambassador to the United States, it’s now.
Gary Doer joined Tom Clark in the West Block this weekend to talk about how trade should become the star of the upcoming Three Amigos summit in Ottawa after a stunning upset victory of the ‘leave’ side in Britain’s referendum.
The key, he argued, is to make the pro-trade arguments as relatable to the average person as the anti-trade ones.
“We should talk (about trade) a populous way, about the customer relationship we have, not some of these abstract numbers,” Doer said. “We’ve got to start talking in more populous terms about the advantages of trade in our neighbourhood.”
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Luiza Savage, editorial director of Politico Events in Washington, said that the Brexit vote mirrors very similar protectionist sentiments that have dominated the U.S. presidential race. Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has campaigned hard on putting “America first.”
“I mean, (Brexit) is just playing into a campaign season here that’s all about anti-trade sentiment coming up against the establishment both in the Republican and Democratic parties,” Savage said.
“And this will certainly throw some more fuel onto that fire. And on the other hand, also demonstrate to the public the consequences of taking some of these positions to the extreme.”
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As American President Barack Obama gets set to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, she added, trade will remain top-of-mind, but the focus of the summit for the Americans will undoubtedly still be climate change.
“They’re looking forward to standing with Prime Minister Trudeau and showing that they’re taking further steps on climate,” she said. “That they’re aligned here on this topic, and they’re looking for a good news story.”
Watch the full panel discussion above.
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