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Free Trade Agreement and Its Affect on Canadian Business Essay

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Free Trade Agreement and Its Affect on Canadian Business

With the coming of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) there have been very serious implications for Canadian business and for that matter, Canada as a whole. Many aspects of the previous economic climate have changed such as the reduction or eliminatation of tariffs and the restrictions on subsidies to name only a few. There has been much heated debate on the pros and cons of this deal: whether Canada will prosper or become the 51st. American state. This paper will not take this approach to the issue of whether or not it is a wise agreement, but will look at what business can do to better itself with the existing FTA.

If Canadian business is to survive and prosper …show more content…

Another reason for a dire need for an increase in efficiency is the trade relationship we are currently involved in. While countries in say the EEC are in more or less the same economic power bracket between Canada and the US, there is a major size difference. So if we are to have any hope of competing with a power so large clearly we must become more efficient even more so than other countries.

Another key aspect which business must deal with is that of becoming better suited to dealing with the North American, and to a lesser extent, other foreign markets rather than only to Canadian or even in some cases, to provincial markets. Corporations which do so stand far better of to gain from the FTA than those that do not. It would be wise for the example of
Northern Telcom Ltd. to be followed. Where production and market presence are global and not just Canadian. Unfortunately many companies are not following this example and are still very much "Canadian" in their outlook.
According to a Toronto Management consulting firm - Ernst and Young 62% of all Canadian manufacturers have no significant exports to the US. As Al
Lituka a Professor at York, says: "The FTA has gven a strong phsycological impetus to thinking North American". 1

One trend of becoming better oriented for new

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