Re: Canada, U.S. Eager To Lock Mexico Into NAFTA Energy Plan
(Report on Business, July 19):
It is enormously disappointing to see that the Trudeau government is joining Donald Trump in pushing for Mexico to sign an energy proportionality clause in a renegotiated free-trade deal, similar to the one Canada signed and Mexico resisted in the first round.
Essentially, Canadian – and soon perhaps, Mexican – oil and gas reserves become North American reserves, subject only to market forces. Governments basically lose control of energy supplies and the ability to use policy tools to reduce the production of fossil fuels and begin the transition to low-carbon energy sources.
NAFTA’s proportionality clause is a major reason Canada has expanded tar sands production and is promoting the massive expansion of pipelines. Such a NAFTA energy package will make it impossible for North America to meet its climate commitments.
Maude Barlow, The Council of Canadians, Ottawa, published in The Globe and Mail, July 20, 2017
