NAFTA Criticism Evokes Response From Canada, Mexico

New York Sun:

Canada and Mexico are rebuking the top Democratic presidential candidates, senators Clinton and Obama, for vowing to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement and threatening to pull out of the pact altogether if America's neighbors refuse.

"Nafta has been a win-win-win for Mexico, the United States and Canada, proving that a rising tide can lift all boats," the Mexican ambassador to America, Arturo Sarukhan, said in a written statement. "Mexico does not support reopening Nafta. It would be like throwing a monkey wrench into the engine of North American competitiveness."

Read the whole story: New York Sun

Comments

[SwingStateVeteran]

The latest on NAFTA-gate is new reporting that CTV (after asll the the non-denial denials and semi-denial denials) continures to stand by their story.

"The facts of our story are accurate." - Greg McIsaac, Communications Manager, News Information and Current Affairs, CTV

[independentrepublicrat]

HuffPo's own source reports that the original story is refuted.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/180573.php

[research]

Get Real: No candidate is going to dis NAFTA if they don't want the corporatist MSM to shut them down, like they did Kucinich and others.

We don't don't know what they will do if elected. It's called politics.

[independentrepublicrat]

Another example of biased hack reporting. The Canadian embassy came out immediately and clearly stated that the story was blatantly false and they did not have any such conversation with an Obama aid nor the campaign. So why is the false allegation that an aide said Obama's Nafta stance is just rhetoric still flailing about on HuffPo? Lack of integrity, lack of ethics, lake of journalistic skills or depth, lack of desire for truth...wh­at?

[Didi47]

Hey independent:

Yu are telling an outright LIE, just like Obama! CTV news is a respectable trustworthy Network. They did not have the conversation with Obama... but they DID have it with his representative!!!

Obama LIED to the public and like he told the Canadian..­. it was 'Just political rhetoric"!!!!

[independentrepublicrat]

You should get outside of HuffPo more and try sources that actually try to investigate or feign journalism if you prefer.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0208/Canadians_deny_Obama_call.html

[independentrepublicrat]

Oh and just in case you are really as nutty as you appear, here is the same source that HuffPo cites for the original lie and that source is reporting it as UNTRUE! LOL

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/180573.php

[research]

Well, Duh. Free trade is basically a good idea.

NAFTA was structurally plutocratic. corporate interests were put first and everyone else had to sue to get anything. It over road all the countries democratically created regulations on labor and environment.

[ErnestineBass]

NAFTA been berry, berry guut to Carlos Slim...

[ErnestineBass]

ROFLMAO!!!

Arturo swallowed the worm!

[Ono4Hoopono]

Mexican PEOPLE I've spoken with say NAFTA has actually degraded the quality of work they are able to find in Mexico, and has made the illegal alien problem even WORSE in the US as a result.

They say NAFTA increased the need to find gainful employment in the United States because environmental and payscale standards are not required and/or enforced under the agreement, so the jobs that ARE created down in Mexico by American companies who moved there because of NAFTA are so low paying that workers still feel inclined to come to the US to work. They also said it decreased the pay for other jobs already in Mexico.

They say the people in Mexico who say it is working are the same people who are saying it is working in the US, the owners of the companies that make their wealth on the backs of these workers; and I would add, at the expense of the US taxpayers who have to foot the bill for the increased expenses associated with compensating for the loss of American jobs and other consequences of NAFTA.

I hope journalists look into this connection between NAFTA and the increased influx of illegal aliens. Something we should be thinking about.

[Ono4Hoopono]

P.S. These Mexican people I spoke with also said that because of NAFTA and the influx of American industry into their country, the Mexican economy has stopped trying to develop its own industrial base that would actually strengthen the country and make it more economically independent, thereby further exacerbating the illegal alien problem.

------
This comment originally got posted under the wrong comment as a result of some glitch.

[Serfie]

Why won't the worthless US media ask the Obama campaign if this is true?

Why won't Obama's sheep ask their idol if this is true?

I'd wager a lot of money that Obama won't do anything about Nafta or the WTO.

What will his followers do about it? Nothing, and most likely make excuses for him, or blame Hillary.

[otispfudpucker]

Obama and Obama's staffers did not say this. Check out the update on TPM.
This is probably another smear tactic from either the right wing or another presidential camp.
Huff needs to update this story.

[Didi47]

Serfie:

The Obama campaign will and is doing their best to downplay the story like crazy. And of course the US MEDIA is doing nothing at all. That shows how much the media cares about its viewers and readers. They don't give a whit about the public. All they want are their dollars! They certainly don't give a hoot about the public's welfare. If they did, they would have told the public the truth about Obama a long time ago!!

[OhPlease2007]

* Obama -&- NAFTA ... It's The Same Old Okie-Doke? *

"They're trying to bamboozle you. It's the same old okie-doke. Y'all know about okie doke, right? ... They try to bamboozle you. Hoodwink ya. Try to hoodwink ya. Alright, I'm having too much fun here."

-Barack Obama, ripping off Malcolm (power/freedom by any means necessary)X, without giving him proper credit in speeches

So, once again, let's see if we understand the F'd-up fuzzy logic from the Obama camp. It's O.K. for the Obama camp to "hoodwink and bamboozle" others, because it's all about, 'power by any means necessary', ... but it's not o.k. for others to do the same. Got it.

I'm a hustler baby, and I gots to have it!
I'm a hustler baby, and I gots to grab it!

If X were alive today with normal faculty, he'd kick Mr. Hope's ass.

[mooph]

...because Canada is the NAFTA partner that has poor environmental standards and is lax on workers' rights. Uh huh.

[Ides]

So a third-hand rumor in a Canadian newspaper from an unverified anonymous Obama source denied by an actual verified Obama source.

To quote my not-at-all Jewish grandmother, "This is news...?"

[Ono4Hoopono]

P.S. These Mexican people I spoke with also said that because of NAFTA and the influx of American industry into their country, the Mexican economy has stopped trying to develop its own industrial base that would actually strengthen the country and make it more economically independent, thereby further exacerbating the illegal alien problem.

[Didi47]

Ides:

The CTV Canadian national News is NO third hand runour my lying friend!! don't insult all of Canada with your ignornance! Obama is a liar and now has made it clear to the rest of the world! Boy talk about laughing stock president number 2 is he wins.

[Hopalongpoppyseed]

These voice we hear from Canada and Mexico are the self interested voices of their neocons.

[mommadona]

"The New York SUN"?...an­d the circulation is........­.?

Not a word in the article about any Obama staff member discussing it....

Oops.

[S1m0n]

Someone better tell Obama, fast, that he has NO friends in the present Canadian government, and he should not expect anyone there to keep his confidences, if he entrusted them with any.

~~

That said, the Industry minister's threats about access to Canadian oila re so hollow they whistle in a light breeze: the present prime minister is from oil-rich Alberta, and all the good ol boys in the calgary oil patch would explode if Canada does anything to jeopardize their ability to sell oil for the world price.

[Harrier]

We need to nullify all treaties to return jobs back to the US. A rising NAFTA tide lifts only two of three boats

[Datu Puti]

Actually, all two boats are sinking with the rising tide (I don't know Canada's situation). What is rising with the tide are three yatchs from the three countries.