Standing up for Free Trade

ACEC is a strong supporter of the principle of free trade as we believe it is essential to creating a business environment that allows our members to be successful and help build a better Canada. It is also in the best interests of our clients and the Canadian economy.

Our key messages for the Canadian government during the NAFTA renegotiations were:
 

• While we strongly support the government’s ongoing efforts to successfully renegotiate NAFTA we also believe there is urgency to ending current business uncertainty;
• The government needs to work with stakeholders to ensure that the regulatory regime in Canada is strong, clear and efficient so that we are a competitive jurisdiction in which to do business; and
• Canada requires a strategic approach to investing in trade-enabling infrastructure to facilitate our ability to access our markets quickly and efficiently.
   

To advance these goals, and to support the federal government’s successful renegotiation of NAFTA, ACEC formally joined the Coalition to Keep Trade Free, an important initiative during a time of unprecedented trade uncertainty. The decision to join was sparked by the challenges around future NAFTA negotiations, and an understanding of the impacts U.S. tariffs would have across all engineering sectors and the Canadian economy as a whole.

Spearheaded by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, an important ACEC partner, the Coalition to Keep Trade Free had as a mission:
 

• To advocate for free trade within North America and around the world
• To build the case for a modernized North American Free Trade Agreement that will grow our economics and make us globally competitive.
   

The Coalition helped organizations mobilize at the local, provincial/state and federal levels to advocate for freer trade within North America and around the world, as well as to ensure a successful renegotiation of NAFTA for continued economic prosperity for Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. “Through the member organizations of this large and growing coalition" confirmed John Gamble, ACEC President and CEO at that time, "we are building the case for a modernized North American Free Trade Agreement that is mutually beneficial to all parties and will allow us to grow our economies and be globally competitive.” ACEC is proud to have been a member of this important alliance to stand up for free trade. 

An interview with John Gamble on Daily Commercial News' The Construction Record Podcast: Apprenticeship ratios, federal prompt payment and NAFTA (John Gamble featured at the 10:30 mark).