COMMENTARY
Voice for sustainabilitv unheard with a vote for NAFTA
By Nicholas Veluz/i
The North American Free
Trade Agreement is an interna
tional trade accord between the
United States. Mexico and Cana
da aimed at creating the largest
single trading bloc: in the world.
The proponent- -f NAFTA
tout that its passant, will result
in a win-win-win situation
throughout North America. The
prescribed formula includes
economic growth, more jobs,
reduced costs of goods, added
consumer choice and increased
competitiveness.
This new set of rules will
accomplish this by removing as
many restrictions as possible,
which include, but is not limit
ed to, tariffs, subsidies, and non
tariff trade barriers (e g. environ
ment regulation). Although
many issues have been raised
concerning labor and the envi
ronment. not much media time
has been given to the effects
NAFTA's structure will have on
the population of North Ameri
ca. Essentially. NAFTA isn't so
much about trade as it is about
the consolidation of power in
the hands of few.
Consider the process in whic h
NAFTA was negotiated. Of
approximately too members on
the boards of the U S. trade rep
resentative. one represents
labor, three represent the envi
ronment. and 996 are corporate
representatives and trade ec ono
mists Additionally, the negotia
tion proc ess was conducted in
sei ret and ptthlic in put wasn ’
given thi' time i ‘ day This
process is I'd i ati\ t i 1 the inter
ests NAi I A represi nts
NAFTA. ! j. will
become irteriialiona. iw As .1
rest' !. any federal state or local
law whi< h 1 oul.ic ts w th NAI
I A ((•! any s, h law w .1 h con
diets with a ruling bv n NAF'I A
dispute resolution panel) n <ty
be undernuned Trade agree
ments take power away from
states to regulate commerce and
give power to transnational cor
porations and supranational
bodies in this arena.
NAFTA also gives national
governments a means to under
mine the power of community
based efforts to create laws and
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regulations that would lend to
an increased quality of life, such
,is alternative energy innovation,
the protection of natural
resources or confronting a fm -
The proponents of
NAFTA tout that its
passage will result
in a win-win-win
situation
throughout North
America.
lory's discharge on hazardous
waste.
NAFTA promotes resource
extraction and increased non
renewable energy consumption
rather than support for sustain
able development und conserva
tion or alternative energy
research and development. So,
N’ A FT A protects government
subsidies for oil and gas explo
ration, while leaving govern
ment scpport lor energy and
i misery at mu programs open to
attm k as unfair trade harriers
While the Mexii < iotistitu
linn prohibits most foreign
investment in the state-owned
nil >m ’r\ il l Ml M many fear
it s only -i matter of time hefo 'e
esi dating I S oil reserves. Sim
itar provisions exist \vithln the
l: S Canndu Free Trade Agree
ment, approved in 1981), result
ing in aggressive l' S business
moving to secure contrac ts on
Canada’s energy resources
Consider the |ames Huy
Hydroelectrii Project in North
ern Quebec The project will
flood an area the size of Ver
mont to export the majority of
megawatts ol elei trit.itv
ammullv to the U S . which v\ ill
not only have catastrophic
effei ts oil the environment, hut
w ill devastate the land base, life
and culture of Northern ( ice
and limit who inhabit the
region
In Mexico, proponents ••nv. an
inert ase m |obs wall m< reive the
standard Ol living of winking
Sh xii avs, id' i h should enable
them n buy more I S prodtli ts,
thus producing jobs in the I S
Alter intensive study of this
agreement and the maqu a set -
tor. wh i h is a model lor what
the .11 i ord is based upon. I find
no ev idem e of ai curat v to this
statement.
Due to a complex political et:o
nomii history ill Mexico, real
wages, with the help of govern
ment intervention, decreased
approximately till percent during
the 80s The Mexican govern
merit ninintains that tight control
over organized labor though its
Confederation Trabajadores Mex
icanos (CI'M). Typically tf a
worker tries to organize a union
independent of the CTM sho/he
will pay a high price. The costs
range from incarceration, receiv
ing threats and their life The real
ity is that this situation is inte
gral to maintaining the "good
business climate" in Mexico.
The central goal of NAFTA is
to maintain the < urrent "good
business climate" in Mexico and
the remainder of l-atin America
to be setting the rules, neo-lib
erol trickle-down economics, in
stone. Saving "no to NAFTA"
isn't saving "yes to protection
ism" Kconomic: integration
between the U S. and Mexico is
inevitable
After all. it has been going on
for over 30 years. There are
alternatives coming from the
Fortune 500 Grassroot-based
coalitions in Mexico, Canada,
and the U S have been coordi
nating efforts to oppose NAFTA
and have come up with the
alternative integration proposals
based upon demiK rai \ , equality
and environment sustamubility
If the currently proposed NAF
1 A passes, wo i an be sure the
voices for sustainability will
never be heard
Xifhalns Velluzr.i is a senior
in ihr International Studies
department
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