North American Leaders Confront Rising Tide of Protectionism

Ahead of today’s summit, Trudeau and Pena Nieto cleared away Tuesday long-standing trade and travel irritants: Canada will lift its controversial visa requirement for Mexican visitors before the end of the year while Mexico will end restrictions on Canadian beef imports.

Trade, the environment and fallout from Britain’s decision to leave the European Union were expected to top the agenda.

Nieto arrived in Ottawa yesterday to attend the North American Leaders Summit called Three Amigos which will be held today.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, right, shares a laugh with Governor General David Johnston, left, during a tree planting ceremony on the grounds of Rideau Hall the official residence of the Governor General to commemorate Nieto’s visit to Ottawa, Tuesday, June 28, 2016.

The attack on a Turkish airport in which 41 people died on Tuesday added to the urgency of discussions about how the three countries can work together to enhance security. Though negotiations are the responsibility of Britain and the European Union, the White House says North American countries will need to continue to engage with a range of partners to discuss the implications and effects.

Earl Wayne, Obama’s former ambassador to Mexico, said that amid increasing criticism of NAFTA, leaders had to find a better way to explain that up to 14 million U.S.jobs depend on trade with Canada and Mexico.

The “Three Amigos”, who’ll confront reporters in the early day at a joint news conference, are also likely to be asked about Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump, who’s vying to succeed Obama.

“If they don’t agree to a renegotiation… then I will submit under Article 2205 of the NAFTA Agreement that America intends to withdraw from the deal”, he warned. “What you are going to hear from the leaders of Canada, the United States and Mexico is that we are a continent and we believe in building bridges”.

For the Obama administration, any comparison between Europe’s woes and North America is irrelevant.

The White House has said this summit is an opportunity to “highlight the significance of North America”.

The United States and Mexico are committing to join Canada in boosting the use of wind, solar and other carbon-free sources of electricity to help North America meet a goal of generating at least 50 percent of its energy from “clean” sources by 2025.

“It is a strategy that has enhanced the economies of all of our countries. It’s enhanced the national security of all of our countries”. The goal applies across the continent – meaning it is an average for all three countries combined.

The goal applies across the continent, meaning it’s an average for Canada, Mexico and the U.S. The goal is “achievable if all three countries respectively make ambitious progress toward executing and in effect exceeding the targets” established in a climate accord reached in Paris past year, Deese said.

This post was syndicated from The Guardian NigeriaThe Guardian Nigeria.