Angus Reid: ‘Three Amigos’ Summit: Just one-in-four Canadians say NAFTA has been good for their country

Press Release

Trade, security issues top Canadians’ list of priorities for North American Leaders’ Summit

June 27, 2016 – With U.S. President Barack Obama and his Mexican counterpart Enrique Peña Nieto in Ottawa this week for the “Three Amigos” summit, a new public opinion poll from the Angus Reid Institute finds Canadians are mixed – at best – about the signature trade deal that sealed ties between these nations.

More than two decades after the ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), only one-in-four Canadians say the deal has been a net benefit to Canada, while fully one-third want it renegotiated – three times as many as say the pact should be “left as is”.

Despite this lack of enthusiasm about NAFTA, Canadians do hold positive views about both the U.S. and Mexico, and see room for increased cooperation with each country.

Key Findings:

One-in-four Canadians (25%) say NAFTA has benefitted their country since it was adopted, but roughly the same total (26%) say it has hurt Canada, or hasn’t had an impact either way (22%). The remaining one-in-four (27%) are unsure what the effect has been

NAFTA and trade issues, as well as security, are Canadians’ top priorities for the upcoming talks. One-in-five (20%) choose each of these as the most important issue for leaders to address

Most Canadians (69%) say their country should pursue closer ties with Mexico, and roughly half (49%) say collaborating with that country on mutual economic interests in the U.S. – such as opposition to “buy American” laws – is “a great strategy”

After 22 years of NAFTA, no consensus on the deal’s effects

From the beginning, the idea of free trade between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico has been a divisive one. In 1993, as NAFTA negotiations were nearing completion, an Angus Reid poll found a majority (58%) of Canadians opposed to the deal. Fewer than two-in-five (39%) supported it.

Two decades later, Canadians remain divided about the effect the pact has had on their country. An Angus Reid poll conducted in 2014 found one-in-three (34%) saying NAFTA had benefitted Canada, and roughly the same number saying it had hurt the country (31%) or had no effect either way (35%).

This 2016 poll finds Canadians similarly divided. The largest single group of respondents (27%) say they are “not sure” what the effect has been. Another 22 per cent say the landmark trade deal hasn’t really affected Canada positively or negatively, meaning nearly half of all Canadians take no position on whether NAFTA has benefitted or hurt their nation.

The other half of the population is split down the middle. One-quarter (25%) say the trade deal has benefitted Canada, while almost the same number (26%) say it has hurt the country.

The belief that NAFTA has been a net negative for Canada is strongest in manufacturing-heavy Ontario and in B.C. These are the only two regions where those who say NAFTA has hurt Canada outnumber those who say the deal has beneffited it, as seen in the following graph:

Read More: http://angusreid.org/three-amigos-summit-nafta/

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