Ronald J Wonnacott

Canada's Great Free Trade Debate A Memoir Ronald J Wonnacott

There was a heated and often melodramatic debate over the historic 1989 Canada-U. S. Free Trade Agreement that reversed more than a century of Canadian trade policy. This story is told by Mr. Wonnacott whose earlier 1967 Harvard University Press book with brother Paul on the possible economic effects of such an agreement helped trigger this debate. Because the 25 years of research that provided an economic background took place in large part in the universities, this is also a memoir of the changing campus since 1950. Soon after the 1989 Canada-U. S. Agreement, the Mexicans asked the U. S. for a similar bilateral. The question then became: Should Canada seek to join their negotiation? Mr. Wonnacott wrote in support to prevent the U. S. from becoming a trading hub with separate Canadian and Mexican spokes. Canada did join the resulting 3-country negotiation that created the NAFTA.