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NAFTA: Canada''s path to continuing economic success.

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The Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and NAFTA have resulted in a highly prosperous Canadian export industry. However, Canadians should continue to improve upon these agreements. Trade in North America, predominantly with the United States, is indispensable to our economy. We must perpetually widen our perspective on ways to improve access in these dynamic and evolving markets. Speech to the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Ottawa, Ontario, February 3, 2003.

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You all know that Canada's trade and economic interests span the globe, so the cornerstone of our trade policy continues to be the multilateral trading system. However, as you also know, by any criteria--movement of goods, investment people, ideas--North America, and in particular the United States, is by far our most important market. So, securing and improving access to this market has to be our number one trade policy priority.

The study that this Committee is currently conducting is therefore extremely timely and provides an excellent opportunity to seek the views of Canadians on priorities for future work. This work will allow us to build on the successes we have realized in the U.S. market through the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, and subsequently in the United States and Mexican markets through the North American Free Trade Agreement [NAFTA].

NAFTA: A catalyst for our trade relations with the United States and Mexico

NAFTA has been a tremendous success in making North America one of the most efficient, integrated and competitive regions In the world. By strengthening the rules and procedures governing trade and investment on this continent, it has allowed trade and investment flows to skyrocket. From 1993 to 2001, Canada's merchandise exports to its NAFTA partners increased almost 95%. Our total merchandise trade with me United States and Mexico reached S884 billion in 2001.

Through NAFTA,...

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