Tariffs.
Or something like this (from the article)
Even the 15-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement doesn't promote truly free trade. Among its protectionist provisions: 62.5 percent of an automobile's total parts must be made within the three member states Canada, the United States and Mexico in order for the car to cross a border.
One of the trading partners that President Bush has been supporting, can't get through congress. Colombia. They could use Catapillar and other farm equipment and would be a good trading partner. Apparently they are good enough for Canada however. Here is an opportunity being missed.
http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/story.html?id=2bbcc628-9448-4db6-a65e-31605b6e77d4
Canada, Colombia sign free trade pact
New market opened for Canadian beef, pork, potatoes: Government
David Akin, Canwest News Service
Published: Friday, November 21, 2008
LIMA, Peru - The leaders of Canada and Colombia signed a new free-trade agreement here on Friday that opens new markets for Canadian beef, pork, potatoes and other products in the South American country.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Alvaro Uribe signed the agreement just before the annual leaders' summit for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, which begins here Saturday.
The two leaders also signed side deals that will hold companies operating in either country to international labour standards, and encourage the use of voluntary codes to protect the environment.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, left, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in a 2007 file shot in Bogota, signed a free trade agreement between their two countries Friday ahead of an APEC leaders' summit in Peru.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, left, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in a 2007 file shot in Bogota, signed a free trade agreement between their two countries Friday ahead of an APEC leaders' summit in Peru.
"This unprecedented strong new agreement will benefit all Canadians by giving Canadian exporters, service providers, and investors in a number of sectors access to the growing Colombian market," Harper said.
Some human-rights campaigners, though, had voiced concerns about Colombia's ability to enforce its own laws, and had cautioned that trade deals must go hand-in-hand with new protection for workers.
Colombia has been beset by South America's longest-running internal armed conflict. Since the 1960s, thousands have been killed or kidnapped as government forces fought with left-wing insurgents and right-wing paramilitary forces. It's a conflict that worsened through the 1990s because of the cocaine trade.
After visiting Bogota earlier this month, United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay said, "Colombia faces grave human-rights challenges in its ongoing conflict, including hostage-taking, extrajudicial executions and arbitrary arrest and detention."
Pillay said these incidents continue, despite measures taken by Uribe's government - including the dismissal of senior military officers engaged in such conduct - to protect vulnerable groups, such as women, journalists and union activists.
Harper said those concerns had been addressed through the deals.
"Human history is clear on this point. If you want to improve and lay the foundation for democracy and prosperity and rights in a country, one of the best ways to do that is open your doors and support a development, prosperity and commercial exchange between countries, and that's what we're doing here," Harper said.
Colombia's trade activity with other countries has risen dramatically since 2000 and, since 2002, Colombia's homicide rate has been halved.
"These types of agreements are great alternatives in order for Colombia to be able to get rid of these violations of human rights," Uribe said. "It is a real alternative for prosperity and entrepreneurship for the Colombian people."
Canadian officials heralded the deals, saying they will help Canadian exporters struggling through the economic downturn. Canadian companies sold about $600 million US worth of goods and services to Colombia last year, while importing about $400 million worth of goods, chiefly coffee, bananas, fuel and coal.
But it could be at least a year or more before the legislatures in both countries ratify the deal, clearing the way for its actual implementation.
Colombia tariffs on about 98 per cent of all Canadian imports by value will be phased out over a five- to 10-year period after implementation.
Canadian trade officials say their goal is to have implementing legislation approved by Parliament by January 2010.
The government also has a free trade deal with Peru waiting for ratification by parliament.
Together, the Peru and Colombia trade deals give Canadian exporters access to a market of about 70 million people.
The Colombian negotiations, which began in earnest after Harper visited Bogota in July 2007, were largely concluded in June.
Under the Labour Co-operation Agreement, one of the side deals that accompany the free trade agreement, Colombia and Canada agreed to worker protection standards adopted by the International Labour Organization. Among other things, those standards ban child labour and forced labour, and commit each government to respect a collective bargaining process.
The labour agreement provides for a dispute-resolution process. Violators of labour standards in either country can be punished, as well, with fines of up to $15 million.
The side agreement on the environment, however, simply says both countries will respect their own environmental laws and policies, and will encourage voluntary practices of corporate social responsibility when it comes to protecting the natural habitat.
Colombia, a country of 45 million people in the northwest corner of South America, covers an area about twice the size of France. It has a coastline on both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Despite its Pacific coast, Colombia is not a member of APEC.
"Free Trade" and fairness does not exist.
