Jack Layton says NDP would reopen NAFTA to protect jobs

'We want a new NAFTA.... We want a fair deal, not a sellout.'

Hamilton (24 Sep. 2008) - Jack Layton says an NDP government would fight to reopen the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to increase protection for Canadian jobs.

"We want a new NAFTA. We want a North American fair trade agreement," the federal NDP leader told an election gathering in Hamilton. "We want a fair deal, not a sellout."

Noting that the Democratic party in the U.S. is also talking about reopening the trade deal, Layton said he wants to amend the deal to include "meaningful" labour and environmental standards to the deal, and also to reform existing energy provisions which require Canada to export fossil fuels to the United States.

Layton said he's prepared to do whatever it takes to get his party's proposals onto the federal cabinet table, including partnering with other parties to stop the policies of Conservative leader Stephen Harper.

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