Make existing 'side deals' part of treaty so they can be properly enforced, U.S. president says during visit to Ottawa.
Ottawa (20 Feb. 2009) - Barack Obama reaffirmed Wednesday when he flew to Ottawa for his first foreign visit as president of the United States that he wants labour and environmental "side agreements" brought into the main body of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
The president told a joint news conference with Stephen Harper on Parliament Hill that he raised the issue during their first face-to-face talks since Obama took over from George Bush on Jan. 20.
"My hope is as our advisors and staffs and economic teams work this through that there's a way of doing this that is not disruptive to the extraordinarily important trade relationship that exists between the United States and Canada," Obama said.
"It strikes me, if those side agreements mean anything, then they might as well be incorporated into the main body of the agreement so that they can be effectively enforced," Obama added.
"I think it is important, whether we're talking about our relationships with Canada or our relationships with Mexico, that all countries concerned are thinking about how workers are being treated."
For his part, Harper spoke volumes by saying nothing about labour, workers' issues or the two side agreements mentioned by Obama. Instead, he emphasized that continuing the free flow of goods and services across the Canada-U.S. border is his main concern. He urged the U.S. repeatedly to avoid dealing with its current economic crisis through protectionist trade policies.
Positive towards labour
By contrast, Obama's comments were another sign that the new American president will chart a much more positive course in dealing with organized labour than any of his predecessors over the past generation.
Obama has repeatedly said he wants to reverse a number of long-standing policies antagonistic toward organized labour, including barriers now preventing workers from forming unions in many American workplaces.
"I don't see organized labor as part of the problem," he has often said. "To me, it's part of the solution."
His first act as president was to sign the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (LLFPA), making it easier to take legal action against companies that discriminate on the basis of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion or disability.
Obama has also said he will sign the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) if it is approved by the new American Congress.
If passed, the EFCA would amend the National Labor Relations Act to force employers to recognize unions when 51% of workers sign union cards. Workplace elections, now often subject to employer manipulation, would not be necessary for certification in such cases.
On other matters, Obama and Harper agreed to begin a "clean energy dialogue" that will help their two countries work more closely on environmental issues. Specifically, the dialogue will focus on ways to develop clean energy science and technologies to reduce greenhouse gases and combat climate change.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE
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