Canadians should not lose sight of U.S. role in North America

In April, I spent four days in New York City with my teenage daughter.

Many sights from the trip, including the view of the Manhattan skyline from the Brooklyn Bridge, are now locked into my mind.

However, the strongest memory for my daughter is a conversation with a street vendor selling ice cream near Wall Street.

While handing her the cone, the vendor asked: “where are you from?”

My daughter: “Canada.”

The vendor: “Where’s that?”

The vendor’s ignorance about the existence of Canada is extreme, but millions of Canadians have similar stories from their trips to the United States.

Most Americans have heard of Toronto, maybe Montreal, but that’s about it. For our U.S. neighbours, Manitoba could be a moon that orbits Jupiter. It’s not relevant to their lives.

The lack of geographic knowledge can be seen as amusing or insulting, but there could be a lesson here regarding the review of the North American trade agreement.

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Some argue that Canada shouldn’t be bullied and insist on calling it the Canada-U.S.- Mexico Agreement.

The Americans, meanwhile, refer to it as the U.S.-Mexico- Canada Agreement, with the U.S. first and Canada last.

However, the “America First” slogan is not just a Republican thing.

Both parties support America First policies, Cam Dahl, Manitoba Pork Council general manager, said earlier this year.

The Democrats, under president Barack Obama, implemented the controversial mandatory country-of-origin labelling for red meat. The legislation stifled exports and caused billions in losses within Canada’s livestock and meat industries.

Then, under President Joe Biden, the Democrats introduced the Product of USA rule, restricting the Made in USA label to meat from animals that were born, raised and slaughtered in the U.S.

Since America is considered first and other countries are a distant 39th, talking about the North American trade agreement with Americans is tricky.

One strategy is indirect lobbying. Canadian farm groups will speak with American groups in the hopes that they tell their political leaders why trade with Canada is important.

Another option is for trade lobbyists from Ottawa to try to persuade politicians in Washington, D.C., that the trade deal is beneficial for people in their state.

Mutually beneficial, in which both countries win from trade, isn’t really part of the conversation.

Absolutely, Canada’s negotiators must push hard and achieve the best possible outcome from this review.

However, we must acknowledge reality.

The U.S. is the most important country in this trade deal. That should make it the USMCA.