Workforce WindsorEssex and the NAFTA Working Group have released NAFTA recommendations to key federal and provincial officials.
The group wants to ensure that Canadian NAFTA negotiators understand the border community’s interests, as outlined in the NAFTA Recommendations from Windsor-Essex Report.
“The impacts of a renegotiated NAFTA will be felt first in Windsor-Essex, which is why Workforce WindsorEssex was working closely with other local organizations on this critical issue,” says Michelle Suchiu, executive director of Workforce WindsorEssex.“As far as we know, we were the only community undertaking this kind of work together."
Workforce WindsorEssex worked closely with the NAFTA Working Group to develop the report, following the completion of 151 local surveys.
The group hopes that the region’s front-line perspective of sharing a major international border will be considered heading into the eighth and potentially final round of negotiations in Washington D.C.
The report makes five key recommendations:
1. Recognize the importance of Canada-US trade interdependence;
2. Recognize Canada’s automotive sector as a key priority throughout NAFTA renegotiations;
3. Protect existing mechanisms that promote cross-border labour mobility;
4. Increase opportunities for cross-border experiential learning; and
5. Support region’s global economic competitiveness.
Over the past year, the NAFTA Working Group acted as a clearinghouse for NAFTA related activities and concerns locally.
The group held consultations with the Canada’s Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, hosted APMA NAFTA 2.0 Luncheon and successfully passed five NAFTA resolutions at City and Town councils in the region.
