n the mid- to late-1980s, and the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement became effective on 1 January 1989. Early in 1990, the governments of both Mexico and the United States began to speak openly and favorably toward the idea of free trade between the two countries. Almost immediately, the Canadian government indicated that any free trade agreement between Mexico and the United States would affect Canada and would affect the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement, and, thus, Canada should be a party in any free trade discussions between Mexico and the United States. Initially, the Bush Administration was publicly cool to the Canadian suggestion, indicating that it preferred bilateral agreements with its trading partners.
In Canada, however, the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement has never enjoyed overwhelming public support, and American insistence on fr
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