Document de propositions politiques de la discussion en ligne : Université de l'Alberta

Le document de proposition de politique suivant (en anglais seulement) a été écrit par Aaron Samuel, Jordan Schlamp, Greg Ninowsky, Jon Mastel, Kaitlyn Young, Saba Mossagizi, Tim Brown, Ashlee Tichonuk, Juliana Masuik, Jessica Arsenault, Kyler Zeleny, Graham Frobb, Samuel Baron et Roberta Briggs pour la classe de relations internationales de M. W. Andy Knight à l’Université de l'Alberta.

Voir la discussion en ligne sur le rôle du Canada en Amérique du Nord.

Note : Les opinions mentionnées ci-dessous ne sont pas nécessairement celles du gouvernement du Canada.

Sujet : Le rôle du Canada en Amérique du Nord

University of Alberta
POLS 260: International Relations, section D
Dr. W. Andy Knight
30/Nov./2007

Question:

How can Canada, in cooperation with partners in Mexico and the U.S. help ensure the competitiveness, security and the quality of life of its citizens in our three countries?

Issues Identified:

There are many issues to consider when discussing a partnership between Canada, the United States of America, and Mexico.  Strengthening ties between the three states raises the concern of limited sovereignty over individual domestic policies. For this discussion, it is important to note the different positions these three countries have in the world; the United States is a superpower, Canada a middle power, and Mexico is arguably the least powerful and economically stable of the three. Between the three states the US is the strongest and most able to control trade patterns.

The issue of standards must also be considered when examining possible partnerships, as there is a vast difference in environmental and health standards between the three states.  Therefore they will need to harmonize their standards without settling to the lowest standard.  Additionally, there is large disparity in quality of life in each state as measured by the Human Development Index (HDI).  A vital question that must be asked is: by ensuring the quality of life of its citizens, should the three states try to strengthen ties with one another, even at the expense of prolonging Canada’s and America’s advancement?

Areas of Consensus/Disagreement:

Areas of agreement consist of harmonizing environments, societal and health standards, as well as standardizing the training of security personnel, including but not limited to military, police and border patrols.

Areas of disagreement include the potential for foreign control of Canadian resources.  Also, consensus could not be reached on how the cooperation would operate in an administrative manner.

eDiscussion Response:

The issue at hand has the potential to have negative consequences from a Canadian perspective, including potential loss of sovereignty.  We considered the question of “how” Canada can attain competitiveness, security and quality of life for its citizens in cooperation with the US and Mexico versus whether Canada should strive for this partnership. With Canada’s current economic state, abundance of natural resources (particularly water and oil), and generally harmonious relations with the rest of the world, joint cooperation with the United States and Mexico may not be beneficial for Canada.  Nonetheless, we examined this question and proposed possible ideas regarding the topic proposed.

Recommendations:

To increase the security of the Canada, Mexico and the US, it is recommended that the three states standardize security training and protocol.  This would include an expansion of NORAD to include coastal defense.  The new organization, the North American Coastal and Aeronautical Patrol (NACAP), would be comprised of Canadian, American and Mexican forces that would patrol the coast of the continent and protect the airways.  This would ensure the security of the three states’ borders with non-North American states.  Also, with the standardization of non-military forces, customs and airport security would run more smoothly for the transportation of people and goods.  Another consideration is the formation of a North- American Interpol-style agency to facilitate the transfer of information in regards to specific North American criminal activity.  A sub-directorate of Interpol incorporating Canada, Mexico and the US already exists; however, there are only three Central Bureaus and limited resources.  To ensure North American security, more offices situated at borders and major transportation hubs could be beneficial.  A national focus could be accomplished by creating more offices in each province and state.

We also recommend an increase in funds devoted to research and development to increase competitiveness.  More monies should be used to develop technologies for producing natural resources and manufactured goods.  This would increase the competitiveness of the three states with each other and with other states and trading blocks.  Additionally, harmonized labor laws, including standardized minimum wages, would make US and Canadian goods of similar value as those manufactured in Mexico.  Proportional minimum wages would also help in equalizing Mexico’s quality of life to American and Canadian standards.

Finally, Mexico has a lower rating by the HDI (UNDP); therefore investment would have to be made in the Mexican system to try to increase their rating.  Many areas in Canada and the US, such as Alberta, are in dire need of workers to combat its oil boom.  We propose implementing a corporate-sponsored job recruitment program, funded in part, by grants and assistance from the governments.  We further recommend that environmental, social and health standards be harmonized in order to assist in the competitiveness of the three states.  After harmonization has occurred, the standards could be increased to jointly increase quality of life in the three states.

Works Cited

UNDP. 2006. October 22, 2007.