Strategic overview and assessment of the future impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on the western Canadian economy. The analysis is confined mainly to opportunities related to the Mexican market, including an evaluation of the Mexican macro-economic policy environment and an identification of potential opportunities for Western Canadian goods exporters in that market; the results of a survey reporting the knowledge, experience, and intentions of western Canadian higher-order business service firms for Mexico; a situational assessment necessary for developing strategies for realizing the potential in Mexico as a result of NAFTA; and a specific set of recommendations directed at business, government, and higher education.

The international competitive position of Western Canada and each of the four western provinces within a Canadian context are the focus of this study. Through trade profiles of major commodity exports and their spatial markets, a situational assessment of the region and its continued heavy dependence on natural resources is offered.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a modified and modernized version of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), will continue to govern most economic relationships in North America, including the more than $1.3 trillion in annual regional trade in goods and services, for the foreseeable future. This book provides a detailed analysis and critique of the provisions of the USMCA and the USMCA’s relation to NAFTA. It is designed to assist lawyers and non-lawyers alike, including law, economics and public policy scholars, business professionals and governmental officials who require an understanding of one of the world’s most economically and politically significant regional trade agreements.