The Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement Enters into Force
1989-01-01
On the last day of 1988, Washington authorised an exchange of notes to bring the Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement into force the next morning. Canadian approval had cleared the final legislative step only the day before, nearly a year after the agreement had been signed in January 1988. [3] [2]
The two countries were already major trading partners when negotiations began in 1986. They reached agreement in October 1987 on terms that would remove tariffs over ten years and address investment, services, and barriers that did not take the form of a customs duty. Businesses would have a timetable for adjusting to the opening of markets across the border. [2] [1]
The agreement also established procedures through which the governments could contest each other’s decisions and resolve trade disputes. In 1994, the wider North American Free Trade Agreement brought Mexico into the arrangement and superseded the bilateral pact. [1]
Related Diplomats
Sources
- Global Affairs Canada: Canada–US Free Trade Agreement
Negotiations, provisions, and succession by NAFTA
- White House statement on the free trade agreement’s entry into force
Exchange of notes; tariff schedule and scope
- Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement: treaty record
Signature and entry-into-force dates
- Allan Gotlieb — mission record (1981–1989)
- Allan Gotlieb — mission record (1981–1989)
Related Reading
Cite This Article
The Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement Enters into Force. Chanceries Diplopedia. Record bef96fd9735dd58ab43a. https://chanceries.org/research/history/canada-trade-23ba0d8547/