NAFTA - Canadian viewpoint

It is amazing that previously there have been so few legal and institutional arrangements in economic and trade areas of a bilateral nature between Canada and the United states, in view of the massive scale, the density and the nearness of their relationships in these areas, and the importance of two-way trade and investment for each country. The Reciprocity Treaty in the mid-19th century which removed tariffs on cross-border trade in so called "natural …

…far larger dimensions here in Canada, due to the disproportionately greater importance of the U.S. as a customer. Here in Canada we want a bilateral trade commission that would have the power to override the laws passed by the U.S. Congress. But it is not the U.S. law that is at issue; it is the submission of the U.S. trade answer law that Canada sees as being random, unpredictable, and unfair.