Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

The last minute new trade agreement among Mexico, Canada and the United States, the so-called USMCA, made headlines in late September. But beneath those headlines, the difference the agreement could mean for those countries are likely to be minimal. The difficult negotiating issues – Canada’s dairy market/supply management, intellectual property, and the dispute settlement mechanism between member countries as well as investors - have been controversial since the inception of NAFTA in 1994 and even earlier It’s not uncommon for politicians to rebrand existing trade deals, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that President Trump wanted to call the new agreement USMCA. While little has changed, it’s far more eye-catching to announce a brand-new agreement, rather than to work within the confines of existing agreements. Signing ceremonies and new acronyms stick in voters’ minds longer than simply tinkering with an agreement that already is in place—even if the new agreement only includes minor changes. How will C