N America

USMCA / NAFTA

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‘FORTRESS NORTH AMERICA’ – COMMON EXTERNAL TARIFFS:

Mexico has proposed matching US tariffs on China, Bessent says

BESSENT: ‘WE COULD HAVE FORTRESS NORTH AMERICA’ FROM CHINESE IMPORTS
Reuters, Feb 28, 2025 – U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Friday that Mexico has proposed matching U.S. tariffs on China in a move that he described as “very interesting” and one that Canada should match.
“I think it would be a nice gesture if the Canadians did it also so in a way we could have fortress North America from the flood of Chinese imports that’s coming out of the most unbalanced economy in the history of modern times,” Bessent said in an interview with Bloomberg TV.

 “COMMON EXTERNAL TARIFFS” IS LEVEL 2 of 5   ( USMCA IS LEVEL 1 )

Canadians want an ‘economic union,’ says Kevin O’Leary

‘JOIN THE TWO ECONOMIES, BECOME A BEHEMOUTH —
COMMON CURRENCY PERHAPS — AND THEN TAKE ON CHINA’
US would gain access to Canadian resources ‘in a free flow — no tariffs’

VIDEO: Fox Business – The Evening Edit, Feb 10, 2025

“ECONOMIC UNION” IS LEVEL 4 of 5  ( USMCA IS LEVEL 1 )

See also:
TRUMP’S CANADA ‘JOKE SPARKS HEGELIAN DIALECTIC TOWARD NORTH AMERICAN ‘ECONOMIC UNION’

EMPOWERING A NEW REGIONAL ORDER:

Regional tariffs could soon be the new ‘reciprocal’ tariff

‘BESSENT: WE WILL DO A LOT OF REGIONAL DEALS’

CNN Business, May 23, 2025 – As Trump’s self-imposed July 9 deadline for when “reciprocal” tariffs would resume inches closer, just one deal with the United Kingdom has so far been announced. Trump and administration officials are starting to hint at cracks in their plan to get individualized trade deals done in time….
In a Sunday interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, [Treasury Secretary Scott] Bessent alluded to a regional tariff scheme under consideration. “My other sense is that we will do a lot of regional deals: ‘This is the rate for Central America, this is the rate for this part of Africa,’” he said….
So, shifting to a system where countries are grouped together under blanket tariff policies risks, in some cases, throwing out the baby with the bathwater for countries whose trade practices are less disturbing to the administration…
But grouping countries together poses another risk: It gives them more ammunition to retaliate against the United States than if the individual countries were on their own….

Opinion: We Are One Step Closer to Fortress North America

REGULATORY ALIGNMENT, STRONGER BORDER, PARALLEL TARIFF STRATEGIES
Farm Journal AgWeb, April 4, 2025 – Fortress North America is a concept where Canada and Mexico are more entrenched with the United States than they have ever been. It involves deeply integrated supply chains, shared trade and security interests, regional self-reliance on critical commodities and goods, and mutually aligned trade protections versus economic foes.
Whether it is regulatory alignment, stronger border enforcement, or parallel tariff strategies, Canada and Mexico are going to be pushed to think more about North America over the European Union, Asia, or South America over the next four years, and possibly beyond….
This may be the first you have heard this “Fortress North America” term, but it has been around for a while. For many of you, tying Canada into a deeper U.S. relationship fresh off of the 51st state threats seems counterintuitive, but the numbers speak for themselves….In a multipolar world, Canada cannot ride the fence and will be forced, due to its American adjacency to choose its economic partner.

THE ‘NEW MERCANTILISM’:

Opinion | Is Trump’s ‘Fortress North America’ a coherent foreign strategy or just more gamesmanship?

“CROSS BETWEEN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY AND ORWELL’S ‘1984’”
Hamilton Spectator (Canada), March 7, 2025 – It’s the consolidation of the new American empire, in a world that suddenly starts to look like a cross between the late 19th century and Orwell’s “1984.” There will be the spheres of influence of the three superpowers: Oceania (the Americas), run from Washington; Eurasia, run from Moscow; and Eastasia, run from Beijing — all perpetually or at least periodically at war with one another. South Asia and Africa will be disputed colonies or borderlands, and that’s where most of the wars are actually fought.

Not the 51st state, but maybe a ‘North American Superstate’?

TRUMP’S PROVOCATIVE POSITION ‘OPENS UP A DISCUSSION ON NEW WAYS OF THINKING’
Financial Post (Canada), Feb 21, 2025 – In the atmosphere of political conflict created by United States President Donald Trump it is hard, even impossible, to understand what his administration’s objectives are. His confrontational style has unleashed a global wave of uncertainty and instability that is shaking nations and international institutions, from Ukraine to Europe and Asia. Nobody knows that experience better than Canadians who have been grappling with Trump’s consistent and demeaning claim to want to turn Canada into “the 51st state.”….
In the view of U.S. historian Arthur Herman, the great potential is to forge an economic alliance between the United States and Canada…. And here Herman borrows a phrase created more than half a century ago by Herman Kahn, founder of the Hudson Institute. Through economic co-operation, Canada, the United States — and Mexico — would create a “North American Superstate.”
Herman is quick to acknowledge that the superstate’s structure is economic, not political….
[Oh, sure. This “economic union” would follow the exact incremental path that the European Union took to becoming the bureaucratic monolith that now usurps sovereignty from its member nations.]

MADE IN NORTH AMERICA:

USMCA Auto Parts Free From Trump’s Tariffs

AUTO PARTS HAVE ZERO TARIFFS
Carscoops, May 6, 2025 – Mexico is pleased with the USMCA exemption, as it is the largest importer of auto parts into the United States. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum described the exemption as “good news,” adding…. “There’s a preferential treatment for everything that is produced within the trade agreement, and in particular for auto parts, which have zero tariffs.”

Trump’s tariffs: What does it mean to be made in America?

USA Today, March 2, 2025 – Negative portrayals of the southern border are common, as in the president’s executive order describing the region as “overrun by cartels, criminal gangs, known terrorists, human traffickers, smugglers, unvetted military-age males from foreign adversaries and illicit narcotics that harm Americans.”
But this region has also played host to an economic transformation over the past 25 years that has interlaced the U.S., Canadian and Mexican economies in a way that lets North America compete with China, experts say….
Factory wages in Mexico are a fraction of what they are in the U.S. Along Mexico’s northern border, the minimum wage is 50% higher than in the rest of the country, but workers still earn roughly $2.62 per hour, or roughly $21 per day, at the current exchange rate.

COMMENTARY: BETTER TOGETHER: USMCA AND NORTH AMERICAN CRITICAL MINERAL FLOWS
Brookings, March 5, 2025 – The minerals and metals needed to support the modern economy are one of the most economically and geopolitically significant supply chains—as evidenced by President Donald Trump highlighting the need to “assess the national security implications of the Nation’s mineral reliance” in his executive order declaring a national energy emergency.

ELON’S GLOBALIST ADVICE:
OPEN CONTINENTAL BORDERS?

Musk says he wants a free-trade zone between Europe and North America

‘FREEDOM OF PEOPLE TO MOVE BETWEEN EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA’
‘THAT HAS CERTAINLY BEEN MY ADVICE TO THE PRESIDENT’
AFP News Agency, April 6, 2025 – “I hope it is agreed that both Europe and the United States should move, ideally, in my view, to a zero-tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America. And that’s what I hope occurs.
“And also, more freedom of people to move between Europe and North America, if they wish. If they wish to work in Europe or wish to work in America, they should be allowed to do so, in my view.”

Mexico creates nearshoring incentives in push for regional integration

LONG-TERM PLAN TO BOLSTER MEXICO’S ROLE IN NORTH AMERICA’S SUPPLY CHAINS
Supply Chain Dive, Jan 24, 2025 – The package’s goals would include strengthening the national economy while increasing regional integration, jobs, pay and overall wellbeing, Sheinbaum said. Furthermore, it would help Mexico substitute imports with domestically produced goods….
Broadening the funding was necessary to push domestic companies of all sizes to better integrate into regional supply chains, according to the decree.

Sheinbaum ‘ready’ for dialogue with Trump administration

BELIEVES INTEGRATION OF ECONOMIES ALLOWS NORTH AMERICA TO ‘BETTER COMPETE’ WITH OTHER REGIONS OF WORLD
Mexico News Daily, Jan 15, 2025 – Asked how the federal government would “combat” Trump’s pledge to impose a 25% tariff on all Mexican exports to the United States, Sheinbaum responded that her administration would “have dialogue with the United States government,” but didn’t say how soon it would occur.
DONALD TRUMP’S ‘BOMBASTIC’ TALK OF ANNEXING CANADA IS ABOUT FORMING ECONOMIC UNION, KEVIN O’LEARY SAYS
The Globe and Mail (Canada), Jan 13, 2025 – Mr. O’Leary, also a reality TV star, has visited the U.S. president-elect at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida a number of times since Mr. Trump won the 2024 presidential election, most recently with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith this past weekend.
Donald Trump’s ‘bombastic’ talk of annexing Canada is about forming economic union, Kevin O’Leary says
Mr. O’Leary said one idea that was discussed multiple times during his meetings at Mar-a-Lago was getting rid of Canadian tariffs on U.S. imports and a removal of interprovincial trade barriers.
His vision would include a common currency between Canada and the United States and granting Canada as many as two seats on the board of governors of the U.S. federal reserve system.
MEXICO’S SHEINBAUM LAYS OUT PLAN TO CUT CHINESE IMPORTS IN APPARENT NOD TO TRUMP
Reuters, Jan 13, 2025 – Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday rolled out an economic plan aimed at curbing imports from China in an apparent nod to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his allegations that Mexico is a back door for Chinese goods entering the United States….
The plan includes boosting local sourcing for industries reliant on Chinese imports, like textiles and autos….
Sheinbaum also plans to bump investments up to 28% of GDP, adding 1.5 million manufacturing jobs by boosting local production and cutting red tape.
Mexico plans to boost its position using trade agreements, tariff policies and strengthening customs enforcement, a government presentation showed.

‘NORTH AMERICAN EQUIVALENT TO THE EUROPEAN UNION’

Kevin O’Leary says he wants to talk to Trump about a U.S.-Canada ‘economic union’

‘SOMEBODY HAS TO START THE NARRATIVE’ – SOURCE OF DISCUSSION FOR DECADES
Comments come after repeated statements by Donald Trump encouraging Canada to become ‘our 51st state’

National Post (Canada),  Dec 27, 2024 – “What is of interest and what has caught the imagination of Canadians is an economic union beyond what we have now….” Leary told the Post….
“There’s obviously a lot of issues and more details, but what this could be is the beginning of an economic union. Think about the power of combining the two economies, erasing the border between Canada and the United States and putting all that resource up to the northern borders where China and Russia are knocking on the door.”
The idea of deeper integration between Canada and the U.S., and sometimes Mexico, has been a source of discussion for decades, often compared to a North American equivalent to the European Union, with a shared currency and identification papers. O’Leary pitched similar ideas for an “economic union” during his Fox Business appearance.
CANADIAN ‘SHARK TANK’ STAR KEVIN O’LEARY SAYS HE’S GOING TO MAR-A-LAGO TO CONVINCE TRUMP TO MERGE US AND CANADA
COMMON CURRENCY, TAXES, ‘NEW, ALMOST EU-LIKE PASSPORT’
Gateway Pundit, Dec 27, 2024 – O’Leary continued, “Think about the power of combining the two economies, erasing the border between Canada and the United States and putting all that resource up to the northern borders where China and Russia are knocking on the door. So secure that give a common currency, figure out taxes across the board, get everything trading both ways, create a new, almost EU like passport.”
‘SHARK’ TANK’ STAR KEVIN O’LEARY SUPPORTS TRUMP’S IDEA TO MAKE CANADA THE 51ST US STATE: ‘POTENTIAL IS MASSIVE’
‘CONCEPT OF AN ECONOMIC UNION HAS BEEN BANDIED AROUND FOR 40 YEARS’
Fox Business, Dec 27, 2024 – “There are 41 million of [Canadians] who want to know more, want to understand what the proposal really is, because the concept of an economic union has been bandied around for 40 years. And it makes sense because the resources Canada has, the U.S. needs. Particularly power and water,” O’Leary explained.
“I think in this kernel of an idea and yes, maybe it was a joke to start. There is something great here to be done because if you figured out a way to put these two countries together, it would be the most powerful country on Earth, the most powerful military on Earth, the most powerful resources, and no adversary anywhere would mess with it. That’s the prize.”

‘FORTRESS NORTH AMERICA’: Globalist Wilson Center pushes NA ‘customs union’

‘A Case for a North American Common Tariff’

‘TO HELP KEEP NORTH AMERICA AS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE REGION OF THE WORLD’
Wilson Center, March 19, 2025 – Unlike 35 years ago, today, no consensus exists on how to rank the models of international production. Unexpected supply shocks and the rejection in many countries to subject their trade to rules and bureaucracies distant from their national institutions of popular representation have discredited the global model of the late 20th century. In its place, sub-global production chains emerge, probably leading to less efficient trade but also likely to be more resilient to unforeseen events.17 In this sub-globalized world, anchoring a common tariff with a customs union agreement would contribute more effectively than the USMCA to help keep North America as the most productive region of the world.
MEXICO TO REVIEW CHINA TARIFFS IN POTENTIAL WIN FOR TRUMP
MSN | Bloomberg, March 15, 2025 – Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her country would review tariffs on Chinese shipments, a move that could give the Trump administration a win in its push to build a “Fortress North America” that blocks shipments from the Asian nation.
“We have to review the tariffs that we have with China,” Sheinbaum said at a press conference Thursday.

‘A CONTINENT-WIDE INDUSTRIAL POLICY’?

Toward a Cleaner, Smarter USMCA

Carnegie fellow proposes North American carbon duty, mineral processing, power transmission, Australian, UK membership
By C.J. Mahoney and Peter Harrell, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Dec 17, 2024
First….Uniform duties based on the carbon content of steel imported into North America could offer a way to harmonize the three countries’ approach to this issue. The concept might be extended to other carbon-intensive import sectors as well.Second….North American cooperation could be particularly beneficial in developing a viable alternative to Chinese mineral processing….Any negotiations on this front would need to overcome historic Mexican sensitivities about outside influence over extractive industries. Third USMCA negotiations provide an opportunity to align on a strategy for building clean power generation and transmission capacity in North America…. Finally, the negotiation could provide a jumping-off point for the parties to expand cooperation on clean energy supply chains beyond North America, perhaps by offering the carrot of USMCA membership.Two possible candidates would be Australia and the United Kingdom.  Trade agreements traditionally have been used to lower tariffs and eliminate subsidies and other market-distorting policies. A joint North American effort to strengthen and relocate supply chains likely would require using some of those previously disfavored tools in pursuit of a continent-wide industrial policy.
Peter E. Harrell is a nonresident fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. From January 2021 through 2022, Harrell served at the U.S. White House as senior director for international economics, jointly appointed to the National Security Council and the National Economic Council.

Mexico’s Ebrard proposes North American
‘plan B’ to counter Chinese imports
THE NEXT LEVEL FOR NORTH AMERICAN INTEGRATION:
‘UNIFORM TARIFFS’?
Five levels of economic integration (click to enlarge)
‘ADDITIONAL
PARTNERSHIPS AIMED
AT INCREASING
MANUFACTURING
CAPACITY IN
NORTH AMERICA’
Mexico News Daily, Nov 25, 2024 – Do Mexico, the United States and Canada need a common plan to increase manufacturing capacity in North America and reduce reliance on Chinese imports?
Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard appears to believe they do, and floated the idea that Mexico should take the initiative and propose one to its northern neighbors and USMCA trade partners….
While Ebrard didn’t go into details about what a common North American plan to increase production and reduce reliance on Chinese imports would look like, a likely starting point would be for Mexico, the United States and Canada to have uniform tariffs on Chinese imports.
ARE CANADA AND MEXICO DOING ANYTHING TO SAFEGUARD THEIR ECONOMIES FROM SLAVE AND CHILD LABOUR?
CUSTOMS DE MINIMIS EXEMPTION ALLOWS GOODS VALUED UNDER $800 TO ENTER U.S. DUTY-FREE, UNCHECKED
The Sunday Guardian, Dec 1, 2024 – Under the USMCA trade agreement, Canada and Mexico play pivotal roles in North America’s supply chain. Yet, these countries have become loopholes for Chinese goods entering the U.S. market. Chinese companies often establish operations in Mexico and Canada, using them as staging grounds to circumvent U.S. tariffs and scrutiny….
Beyond safety concerns, many Chinese goods are tainted by forced labour, particularly from regions like Xinjiang….Canada and Mexico are accused of turning a blind eye, allowing these goods to filter through their markets.
TRUMP TARIFFS THREATEN TO CRACK OPEN NORTH AMERICAN ECONOMIES
25-PERCENT TARIFF PLEDGE ON MEXICO, CANADA ‘THREATENS TO UPEND DECADES OF NORTH AMERICAN INTEGRATION’
FOX40 Sacremento, Nov 30, 2024 – But that three-way integration is facing headwinds, not least from Trump, who on Monday threatened United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) partners with 25 percent across-the-board tariffs on day one of his presidency in retaliation for their roles in migration and the illicit fentanyl trade.

HP brace for Trump 2.0 with leadership and supply chain overhaul to NA
PROCUREMENT AUTHORITY CONSOLIDATES IN NORTH AMERICA, ANTICIPATING CHANGES UNDER TRUMP’S PRESIDENCY
DIGITIMES, Nov 25, 2024 – Ernest Nicolas, HP’s Chief Supply Chain Officer, has taken on additional oversight of IT and cybersecurity. As procurement authority consolidates in North America, industry observers speculate Nicolas may become a leading candidate for the CEO role….
Supply chain sources note that HP is one of several brands making personnel adjustments to adapt to anticipated changes under Trump’s presidency, including diversifying production. However, HP’s actions stand out as more proactive and urgent, given its deep integration with Taiwan’s supply chain.

Mexico Scrambles to Replace Chinese Parts Amid USMCA Tensions: ‘We’ll Fight to Stay In!’
Launches campaign to strengthen North American manufacturing
EconoTimes, Nov 24, 2024 – Mexico is urgently revising its trade policies and supply chain strategies amid fears that its role in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) could be at risk. Rising allegations that Mexico serves as a conduit for Chinese parts entering North America have sparked concerns in Washington and Ottawa, threatening the regional trade bloc’s future stability….
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has launched a campaign to reduce reliance on Chinese imports and strengthen regional manufacturing. Speaking on Friday, Sheinbaum emphasized the importance of fostering domestic production and collaboration with North American firms to replace Chinese-made components.
MEXICAN PRESIDENT FOLDING AFTER JUST ONE PHONE CALL WITH TRUMP
TARIFFS FLOATED BY TRUMP WOULD TARGET MEXICAN EXPORTS
Gateway Pundit, Nov 24, 2024 – Trump reportedly shattered the “cordial” call by bringing up the most pressing issue on U.S.-Mexico relations: the lengthy border between our two countries and the unacceptable state of it.
In rushing to meet the results of Trump’s policies, it’s expected that Mexico may increase immigration enforcement…. And it seems Sheinbaum is not the only Mexican politician that needs to worry.
“That is why Trump went so far as to say during the campaign that if Mexico did not cooperate on these issues,” Montes de Oca continued, “he would make public the U.S. government’s intelligence information on politicians in Mexico who are related to drug cartels.”

Canadian Pacific CEO touts merged railroad
network for unitary ‘nation’ of North America

KC SOUTHERN CEO: MEXICO’S BASE OF MANUFACTURING ‘CRITICAL PART’ OF ‘NORTH AMERICAN SUPPLY CHAIN’

FreightWaves, Nov 15, 2022 – Keith Creel, CEO of Canadian Pacific (NYSE: CP), and Patrick Ottensmeyer, CEO of KCS, both highlighted on a screen the map that drove the $31 billion merger that was completed about a year ago. That map shows the roughly Y-shaped network that will be at the heart of the merged companies, extending to both coasts of Canada and down into Mexico. In his remarks, Creel often referred to “nation” in the singular and explained later it was a reference to the more unitary nation of North America — the U.S., Canada and Mexico….

Biden admin calls for North American Union –
Rep. Matt Gaetz responds

2021 NORTH AMERICAN LEADERS’ SUMMIT

‘To Build Back Together as North America’

‘STRENGTHENING NORTH AMERICAN SUPPLY CHAINS BY CREATING A TRILATERAL SUPPLY CHAIN COORDINATION MECHANISM’
WhiteHouse.gov, November 18, 2021 – “To build back together as North America, and for our economies to enhance our competitiveness and propel our future growth, the Leaders affirmed the need for the right conditions for businesses and workers to thrive, and are committed to:
“Strengthening North American supply chains by creating a trilateral supply chain coordination mechanism, with a goal to define essential industries to minimize future disruptions, recognizing that North America needs resilient, sustainable, diverse, and secure supply chains to ensure our economic prosperity and security….”

At Davos, European Distress Over a ‘Made in [North] America’ Law

STIRS TALK OF EU RESPONSE, TRADE WAR

New York Times, Jan 21, 2023 – The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act stirred talk of a trade war, but also proposals for a similar E.U. initiative to stimulate green investment…. The new law, for example, provides buyers of electric vehicles a federal tax credit of up $7,500 — but only if those vehicles are made in North America.

The deception of the New York Times with their ‘Made in America’ headline is despicable. They buried the real truth in the article.

Laredo: $1 Billion Cargo Passes Through Daily | How Mexico is Becoming the New China

USMCA – ‘MADE IN NORTH AMERICA’:

Mexico Publishes Decree Granting Tax Benefits for the Export Industry to Promote Nearshoring

TAX INCENTIVES FOR PRODUCTION, EXPORT TO U.S
National Law Review, Oct 19, 2023 – ….The Decree is designed to support companies operating in Mexico that are identified as key for the export industry and that seek to optimize their operations through the “nearshoring” strategy. With this Decree, the Mexican federal government aims to promote competitiveness, innovation, and investment in technology, and ultimately job creation and direct foreign investment.
The tax benefits included in the Decree will benefit entities subject to the general income tax regime or the simplified trust regime, as well as individuals with business activities in Mexico, involved in the production, processing, industrial manufacturing, and/or export of the following goods:

• Food products;
  Fertilizers and agrochemicals;
  Raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry;
  Electronic components;
  Metering and electronic medical equipment, for medical use;
  Batteries and accessories for electrical installations;
  Gasoline, hybrid, and alternative fuel engines for cars, vans, and trucks;
  Automotive electrical and electronic equipment;
  Internal combustion engines, turbines, and transmissions for aircraft;
  Medical, dental, and laboratory equipment and devices; and
  Cinematographic or audiovisual works.

In addition to the “Nearshoring” trend, other trends include “friendshoring” and “allyshoring.” These terms refer to situations where the decision to relocate a production plant is influenced by political factors or common interests between the manufacturing location and the final destination for a product (for example, Mexico and the United States)….
As part of the enactment of the CHIPS Act, Mexico was invited to join efforts in promoting semiconductor manufacturing and to integrate products manufactured within its borders to the semiconductor supply chain in the United States.

Torres: Near-shoring is the hot topic to talk about right now

Chinese manufacturers move to Mexico, evade tariffs by taking advantage of USMCA

‘REGIONALIZATION IS THE ANSWER, AS WE’VE SEEN, AND WE’RE SEEING THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF THAT IN THE NORTH AMERICAN REGION’
Rio Grande Guardian, Sep 1, 2023 – Torres [president, founder, Interlink Trade Services] also spoke about the current trend of Chinese companies moving to Mexico.
“Mexico is becoming the new alternative because it offers proximity to the US, lower labor costs and access to preferential treatment under the USMCA, or the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement,” Torres said.

Mexico’s moment in the sun

‘NEARSHORING’ IS PUSHING FDI IN MEXICO TO RECORD HEIGHTS

fDi Intelligence, June 22, 2023 –
“This is Mexico’s geopolitical moment,” Kenneth Smith Ramos, the country’s former chief negotiator for the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and partner at legal firm Agon tells fDi. “We are seeing a perfect storm of huge conflicts internationally, such as the war in Ukraine and the US–China trade war, that has created a unique window for Mexico to increase investments and modernise its economy.”….
Mexico has also seen a rise in FDI [foreign direct investment] from Chinese and other Asian corporations looking to circumvent tariffs and become more integrated into the North American market.

MEXICO IS POISED TO RIDE THE NEARSHORING WAVE

Morgan Stanley, June 21, 2023 – As U.S. companies increasingly look to their southern neighbor to bolster their supply and value chains, it is likely to boost Mexico’s GDP growth as investment surges, providing new opportunities for companies and investors alike.
“If U.S. manufacturing is to be less dependent on China, we think the path will be via Mexico,” says Morgan Stanley Research equity analyst Nikolaj Lippmann. “Nearshoring is expected to be a long and sustained race that could help build new ecosystems in Mexico’s existing manufacturing hubs.”
NEARSHORING LEADS TO INBOUND BOOST FROM MECIXO, CANADA
Multichannel Merchant, June 21, 2023 – Mexico and Canada are seeing an increase in manufacturing and shipping to the U.S. as nearshoring takes hold in the face of uncertainty over trade with China…. According to a joint supply chain stability index from management consulting firm KPMG and the Association of Supply Chain Management (ASCM), nearshoring meant the volume of imported freight from Mexico to the U.S. in Q1 exceeded that of China by 15%. The volume from Canada was 5% higher as “China plus one” takes a firm hold.

‘NORTH AMERICAN MINDSET’:

George W. Bush Institute pushes single apprenticeship credential program for continental workforce

‘To support…worker movement across borders’

‘FIRST STEP TO MULTINATIONAL ALIGNMENT FOR APPRENTICESHIPS’

BOLSTERING NORTH AMERICA’S COMPETITIVENESS

The George W. Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative, August 2023
Recognizing that harmonization and consistency across borders is essential to efficiency and competitiveness, North American businesses already standardize and streamline their labor practices. A commitment by the three governments to create a unified apprenticeship program would build confidence and attract private sector investment toward a public-private partnership which is necessary to implement the following recommendations:

• The United States, Canada, and Mexico should pilot adopting a single credential within a given industry.• Labor and economic agencies at the Federal and state/provincial levels should partner with private sector and labor interests to inform the creation of this credential.• This pilot credential should be tested with one or more businesses currently hiring and operating in all three countries.• This pilot should lead to the development of a trilateral, North American apprenticeship program. The opportunity to convene the United States Office of Apprenticeships, Mexico’s National College of Technical Professional Education (CONALEP), and Canada’s Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC) around a single credential within a given industry is the first step to multinational alignment for apprenticeships.

REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE – ‘NORTH AMERICAN HIGHWAY’ RESURFACING’:

Ted Cruz legislation passes Senate, would name ‘Ports-to-Plains Corridor’ as ‘Interstate 27’

The Katy News, August 9, 2022 – ….In 2022, Sen. Cruz successfully included language in the fiscal year (FY) 2022 appropriations legislation to designate the portion of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor from Laredo, Texas, to Raton, New Mexico, as a future Interstate route. This was an important step toward adding the route to the U.S. Interstate System. Though the language passed into law in 2022 will add key parts of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor to the Interstate System, it did not give the route an official future Interstate route number.
His latest legislation, which passed out of the Senate in July 2023, would name the Ports-to-Plains Corridor “Interstate 27.”

‘MADE IN NORTH AMERICA’:

Nearshoring tide growing in Mexico

‘FOR NORTH AMERICAN MANUFACTURERS LOOKING FOR PROFITABLE ALTERNATIVES TO CHINA CLOSER TO HOME, MEXICO IS THE OBVIOUS CHOICE’

The Tube and Pipe Journal, July 29, 2023 – Before 2020, anyone suggesting to a manufacturer’s board of directors that they ditch China for Mexico would likely have been shown the door, possibly to the sounds of laughter.
No one’s laughing now….
COVID-19 created such worldwide shipping delays that even companies long entrenched with a make-it-in-China mindset began formulating what’s come to be known as nearshoring—the movement of suppliers much closer to the North American OEMs they support.
Diplomatic and trade tensions between the U.S. and China have only quickened businesses’ relocation to other nations ready with the necessary workforces and technology. Vietnam and India have emerged as key players here, but for North American manufacturers looking for profitable alternatives to China closer to home, Mexico is the obvious choice.
MEXICO ECONOMIC GROWTH TOPS FORECASTS ON SERVICES AND EXPORTS
Yahoo! Finance, July 31, 2023 – Mexico’s economy grew more than expected in the second quarter as private consumption remains robust and the country benefits from strong exports to the US, its largest trading partner.

Senate agrees to fast-track permitting for border bridges after push from Cruz, TX reps

San Antonio Express-News, July 28, 2023

Would double Laredo Bridge capacity to 16 lanes – 10 lanes for freight from Mexico

KXAN Austin, July 26, 2023

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX) promotes “I-27, Ports-to-Plains interstate that will flow from Laredo all the way up to Canada.”

SEN. TED CRUZ VISITS LAREDO’S WORLD TRADE BRIDGE FOR ROUNDTABLE
Laredo Morning Times, July 24, 2023 – Senator Ted Cruz visited Laredo’s World Trade Bridge on Monday, July 24 to participate in a roundtable with Rep. Henry Cuellar, Laredo Mayor Dr. Victor Trevino and other local, state and national leaders addressing the progress made in expediting approval of international bridge projects in South Texas and discussing what comes next….
“Being the No. 1 port of entry in the country, this is very important to us,” Trevino said. “It can compete with the global forces and compete at a world stage. These expansions are important so that we are less dependent on unstable markets and competing interests around the world. It also creates more American jobs and strengthens our ties with Mexico and our continent to benefit from this trade and security.”….
Cruz cited his past experience with Cuellar working on the I-27 Ports-to-Plains Corridor as evidence of what can be achieved when attacking an issue from both sides.
“Henry and I work together on a lot of matters. Henry and I worked hand-in-hand on passing the legislation to authorize I-27, the Ports-to-Plains interstate that will flow from Laredo all the way up to Canada.”

NORTH AMERICA and the ‘NEW REGIONAL MERCANTILISM’:

U.S., Mexico and Canada must embrace one another to compete with China, author says

CFR’S O’NEIL: ‘WE HAVE NOT REGIONALIZED ENOUGH’
Dallas Morning News, March 8, 2023 – Is globalization a myth? That’s the argument of Shannon K. O’Neil, vice president and senior fellow for Latin American studies at the Council on Foreign Relations….
As North America tries to lure manufacturing away from China, the U.S., Mexico and Canada need to embrace one another and capitalize on a once-in-a-generation “upheaval that could and should benefit North America, particularly the Texas-Mexico border,” said O’Neil….
“We tend to think globalization is robbing us of jobs. But what’s actually taking jobs away in many ways is that we have not regionalized enough, that we have not tied together in as many or as deep regional supply chains as we’ve seen in other places. We’re competing against Asia, not just China. We’re competing against Europe, not just Germany. And the U.S. is still trying to play this game by itself when the rest of the world is playing on a team.”
OPINION: IT’S NORTH AMERICA’S MOMENT IN WASHINGTON
Yahoo! Finance, March 9, 2023 – At their meeting in January, the three North American leaders said they intended “to forge stronger regional supply chains, as well as promote targeted investment” in strategic sectors like semiconductors and batteries. Seeing North America as a competitiveness zone — one that helps producers in all three nations meet or beat foreign competition — is why we did NAFTA in the first place. But it has taken a resurgence of great-power competition, this time with China, to make the United States fully appreciate the benefits of integration with its neighbours….

‘BUY NORTH AMERICAN’

BIDEN SEEKS COMMON GROUND WITH MEXICO, CANADA AT SUMMIT BUT TENSIONS REMAIN
Reuters, Nov 18, 2021 – Sounding an alarm about China, [Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador] said during the three-way meeting that greater North American economic integration, including “stopping the rejection of migrants” needed for the U.S. and Canadian labor forces, would be the best way to face “the productive and commercial expansion of China.” Lopez Obrador’s suggestion echoed Mexican Economy Minister Tatiana Clouthier’s call for the United States to “buy North American” instead of adopting protectionist measures.

USMCA’s ‘THREE AMIGOS’ MUST HAVE A CHINA FOCUS
Raul Gutierrez, WTMZ-TV, Nov 18, 2021 – ….We operate an extensive North American supply chain.  For example, we buy U.S. scrap metal, recycle it, and process it in our mills in Mexico to produce steel that is then shipped back to our U.S. facilities to make nails and other wire products. Others maintain even more elaborate supply chains to produce cars and trucks.In their deliberations today, the three leaders can deploy a powerful tool to meet the challenges of unfair economic practices. They can strengthen North American supply chains like ours and substitute them for longer and more fragile chains that extend to China and other distant parts of the world.“For the U.S., the most logical solution would seem to be to look to its North American neighbours,” said a report by The Economist Intelligence Unit. “Proximity is, naturally, a distinct advantage, with much shorter transportation times than those from Asian suppliers….

USMCA-UK?
UK considers joining existing US-Mexico-Canada trade deal as hopes of standalone post-Brexit agreement fade
Sky News, Sept 22, 2021 – A senior government figure suggests an alternative route to boosting trans-Atlantic trade could be the UK joining the existing free trade agreement between the US, Mexico and Canada, known as USMCA.

‘MADE IN NORTH AMERICA’:
Canada Joins Mexico in Seeking Consultation with U.S. Over USMCA Content Rules
AgWeb|Reuters, Aug 30, 2021 – The USMCA, the successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement, requires 75% North American content for a vehicle to be considered as being from North America.

U.S., Mexico, and Canada Sign ‘Progressive’ USMCA Regional Government Scheme
Mexican senator says judges on USMCA bi-nation panels will have ‘regional jurisdiction’
The New American, Dec 11, 2019 – [Senator Ricardo Monreal Ávila of Mexico’s socialist National Regeneration Movement, known by its Spanish acronym MORENA] didn’t waste any time in touting the supranational nature of the USMCA. “It will now be easier to establish panels of regional jurisdiction, or with regional jurisdiction, composed of judges from both countries that address all types of differences that may arise on any subject covered by the treaty,” Monreal proclaimed.
The “regional jurisdiction” Monreal described would operate outside the established judicial systems or courts of Mexico, the United States, and Canada and not be subject them — thus potentially subordinating U.S. citizens and companies to these panels in the event of a dispute — much like NAFTA’s international dispute settlement mechanisms or “NAFTA courts.”
….On the subject of integration, Freeland added, “These amendments will ensure that rules-based trade between our three countries will continue to support the economic prosperity of all of our people and the global competitiveness of North America as a region.” (Emphasis added.) In other words, the USMCA is not intended to strengthen the individual competitiveness of Canada, the United States, and Mexico as independent sovereign nations, but as an amalgamated “region,” similar to the European Union’s Eurozone or common market.
R-CALF USA says beef industry ‘ignored’ in USMCA agreement, urges Congress to vote against
No restoration of country-of origin labels (COOL) on imported beef
DRGNews (Dakota Radio Group, South Dakota), Dec 11, 2019 – R-CALF USA, the nation’s largest producer-only cattle trade association that lobbies on behalf of America’s cattle farmers and ranchers released the following statements following announcement of an agreement between House Democrats and the White House on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
“Once again the House of Representatives and the White House have reached an agreement on a measure that will provide windfall profits for Agribusiness giants at the expense of America’s hard-working cattle farmers and ranchers….
“In fact, the new USMCA is worse than the old NAFTA because at least for several years during the old NAFTA American cattle farmers and ranchers received the tool they needed to finally compete against the growing volume of cheaper imported beef and cattle from Canada and Mexico. From 2013 through 2015, mandatory country-of-origin labels for beef empowered America’s cattle producers to finally begin competing against this growing tide of cheaper, undifferentiated foreign beef.
“We’ve asked Congress and the President to, at the very least, restore mandatory country-of-origin labels (COOL) so American cattle farmers and ranchers could compete against the duty-free, cheaper and undifferentiated cattle and beef flowing into our country and depressing our markets.
“We’ve been ignored.
“We should now expect the downward trends caused by NAFTA to continue, if not accelerate, under the USMCA.

Moving Jobs to Mexico Was a Feature, Not a Bug, of NAFTA
By Dean Baker, FAIR, Dec 4, 2019 – The Washington Post (11/21/19) gave readers the official story about NAFTA, diverging seriously from reality, in a piece on the status of negotiations on the new NAFTA. The piece tells readers:
NAFTA was meant to expand trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico by removing tariffs and other barriers on products as they were shipped between countries. The pact did open up trade, but it also proved disruptive in terms of creating new manufacturing supply chains and relocating businesses and jobs.
This implies that the disruption in terms of shifting jobs to Mexico to take advantage of low-wage labor was an accidental outcome. In fact, this was a main point of the deal, as was widely noted by economists at the time. Proponents of the deal argued that it was necessary for US manufacturers to have access to low-cost labor in Mexico to remain competitive internationally. No one who followed the debate at the time should have been in the least surprised by the loss of high-paying, union manufacturing jobs to Mexico; that is exactly the result that NAFTA was designed for.
Economist Dean Baker is a senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, DC.

What’s Wrong With the USMCA?
The New American, Nov 5, 2018 – ….Taking the president’s words at face value, one might think that NAFTA is dead and that the USMCA is a huge win for America that will safeguard its national sovereignty. Unfortunately, his rhetoric belies the reality. The pact is even worse than NAFTA regarding undermining American sovereignty and self-determination, in favor of North American integration extending beyond trade to include labor and environmental policies. It is, in fact, so bad that the globalists who had lambasted Trump for renegotiating NAFTA praised him afterward….
Chapter 30 of the USMCA establishes the creation of a “Free Trade Commission,” which is broader in scope and power than the original 1994 NAFTA Free Trade Commission. According to Article 30.2, the USMCA reads,
“The Commission shall”:
(a) consider matters relating to the implementation or operation of this Agreement;
(b) consider proposals to amend or modify this Agreement;
(c) supervise the work of committees, working groups, and other subsidiary bodies established under this Agreement;
(d) consider ways to further enhance trade and investment between the Parties;
(e) adopt and update the Rules of Procedure and Code of conduct; and
(f) review the roster established under Article 31.8 (Roster and Qualifications of Panelists) every three years and, when appropriate, constitute a new roster.
In other words, the USMCA’s Free Trade Commission can make changes to the agreement itself, implement changes to the agreement, change the rules by which it operates, approve who serves on its lower subordinate committees, and oversee the work of those committees like an international bureaucracy or government — all without the consent or approval of Congress….
In fact, a North American Competitiveness Committee is to be established with “a view to promoting further economic integration among the Parties” (i.e., the United States, Mexico, and Canada) and “enhancing the competitiveness of North American exports.” (Emphasis added.) It reads as though the purpose is to make the North American bloc competitive with other trade blocs such as the EU, ASEAN, and Eurasian Economic Union, but of course, this is simply a ploy by the Deep State to abolish the modern international system of sovereign nation-states to, in turn, replace it with a transitional world order composed of interdependent transnational unions, with the view of further global integration toward a socialistic one-world economic union….
The new USMCA’s Free Trade Commission fits the criteria of James Madison’s definition of “tyranny”: Writing in The Federalist, No. 47, Founding Father James Madison stated, “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, selfappointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.”
The USMCA underscores the urgent need not only to get out of the original NAFTA but to likewise reject the USMCA and all other so-called trade agreements that erode American sovereignty through the establishment of transnational executive commissions and that subordinate the United States to international regimes such as the United Nations, World Trade Organization, and ILO….
This article originally appeared in the November 19, 2018 print edition of The New American.

MERGER ‘ISN’T JUST DESIRABLE BUT INEVITABLE’
North American Union: US & Canada in play? – Prince Arthur Herald (Canada), April 30, 2014 – Diane Francis, National Post Editor-at-Large and Bestselling Author of Merger of the Century …. states that “a merger between the two countries isn’t just desirable but inevitable”…. According to Ms. Francis, over the last several decades, “Canada has become more like America and America more like Canada”….
Hilary Clinton and Jeb Bush have sent Diane Francis complimentary letters thus far…. In 2011, a poll by Harris/Decima showed that 65% of Canadians backed greater integration with the U.S. and supported a plan to eliminate the border by blending US and Canadian customs, immigration, security and law enforcement efforts.
For sure, the U.S. is becoming more like socialist Canada. “North American healthcare,” anyone?

‘MADE IN NORTH AMERICA’:
Energy issues seen as unifying force in North America
Dallas News, Sept 30, 2014 – The task force was chaired by retired U.S. Gen. David Petraeus and former World Bank president Robert Zoellick. Its 137-page report, known as the Independent Task Report No. 71, will be released Wednesday at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City….
“In sum, we recommend a new partnership for North America, a new model for the world of integration and cooperation among sovereign states,” the report says. “The foundation for U.S. foreign policy in years to come should be ‘Made in North America.’”
The phrase “integration and cooperation among sovereign states” is a euphemism. In reality, the CFR advocates “cooperation among sovereign states” to surrender their sovereignty, superseded by a “North American” jurisdiction.

Report Launch: CFR-Sponsored Independent Task Force on North America

NY Event: Council on Foreign Relations, Oct. 1, 2014   |   DC Event: Council on Foreign Relations, Oct. 2, 2014
Creating a North America workforce (at 7:39)
Defend North America borders, not US (at 13:40)
Download CFR “Independent Task Force” Report No. 71 – North America: Time for a New Focus (PDF)

What comes ‘after America’? – Jerome Corsi, WND, July 5, 2014 – In recent weeks, both General David Petraeus and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have woven into public speeches the theme of combining the United States, Canada and Mexico into a single, North American Union. “After America, there is North America,” explained Petraeus, the former U.S. military commander and former head of the CIA, to a panel entitled “After America, What?” held at the Margaret Thatcher Conference on Liberty on June 18, 2014, hosted by the Center for Policy Studies in Great Britain.

“The combination of US advantages in technology, low-cost energy and innovation, together with Mexico’s low cost of labor, is making the North American bloc more economically competitive as labor costs rise elsewhere.” David Petraeus (at 26:27)

College students are told 18 states offer in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. Check out how they react
The Blaze, April 18, 2019 – At least 18 states offer in-state tuition for illegal immigrant students, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Armed with those facts, Campus Reform’s Cabot Phillips recently teamed up with itsmikeaye_ to ask University of Nevada, Las Vegas, students their opinions concerning illegal immigrant students getting in-state tuition. The reactions were unanimous: Not cool.
‘Free flow of goods, services, and people’ would include access for education

Instead of blanket trade agreements, Donald Trump wants to negotiate one-on-one with countries
No more NAFTA, TPP
Washington Post, May 2, 2016 – Donald Trump wants the United States to stop negotiating blanket trade deals that include a number of countries, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement and the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, and instead negotiate one-on-one with individual countries.
“I don’t mind making agreements, but we shouldn’t make agreements with 12 countries,” Trump said at a rally in this Indiana college town Monday night. “We should make agreements with one-on-one. One-on-one. One-on-one. And you know what? If they don’t treat us right, we pull the agreement.”

Nancy Pelosi Calls The Humanitarian Crisis At The US Border An ‘Opportunity’  – Business Insider, June 28, 2014 – “This is a community with a border going through it. And this crisis — that some call a ‘crisis’ — we have to view as an opportunity,” Pelosi told reporters at a press conference.
Recall that the European Common Market was first named the “European Community” on the incremental path toward becoming today’s “European Union.”

Border Meltdown: Obama Delivering 290,000 Illegals To U.S. Homes – Daily Caller, July 5, 2014 – A second New York Times article report revealed that officials have caught an additional 240,000 Central American migrants since April, and are transporting many of them to their destinations throughout the United States.

Boehner Omnibus Gives Social Security Benefits to Illegal Aliens Under Obama Amnesty
Breitbart, Dec 10, 2014 – Pages 958 and 959 of the 1,603-page omnibus spending bill from House Speaker John Boehner include a provision that gives Social Security benefits to illegal aliens under President Barack Obama’s executive amnesty…. Despite omitting language that would prohibit any funding for any part of Obama’s executive amnesty, congressional leaders did include 451 other times where they prohibited funding from being used for a given purpose.

Mexico energy reform could create North American powerhouse  – Houston Business Journal, May 7, 2014 – As Mexico prepares to open itself to international energy investment, politicians and energy executives said the move could lead to a strong North American energy collaborative…. Congressman Bill Flores, R-Waco, said the developments should lead to a “regional powerhouse that I think can be stronger than OPEC.”
Enter “North America” into Henry Kissinger’s “new mercantilism” of “competing regional units.”

A tally of thirteen is depicted over North America as Senator Dianne Feinstein describes NSA chart’s “events disrupted”: “…thirteen in the homeland, twenty five in Europe, five in Africa…”
Welcome to the Homeland, Mexico and Canada!
YAHOO! News, August 1, 2013 – You may notice, as we did, the odd use of “homeland” in this context. It’s a tired critique by now, noting how the adoption of this expression to refer to the United States echoes weird Communist rhetoric from the mid-20th century. Regardless: Isn’t “homeland” a weird term? But you may also be surprised to learn that our homeland now includes both Mexico and Canada, two areas that we understood to be autonomous nations that are not part of the United States.

Surprise. Stephen Harper’s U.S. border deal does imperil Canadian sovereignty
Toronto Star, August 1, 2013 – The U.S. government wants American police agents working in Canada exempted from Canadian law. If this is a surprise, it shouldn’t be….Announced in 2011, the so-called North American perimeter security pact would give Washington the right to have its agents and police officers operate alongside their Canadian counterparts within Canada….Theoretically, Canadian agents could operate with similar powers in the U.S. in order to provide an appearance of reciprocity.

Proponents of incremental ‘North American integration’ in their own words:

VIDEO: NAFTA20: Arturo Sarukhan, Mex Ambassador to US
VIDEO: COMMON SECURITY PERIMETER FOR NORTH AMERICA 

The North American Idea: A Vision of a Continental Future
Robert A. Pastor (Oxford University Press, 2011)      Reviewed by Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs (Council on Foreign Relations), Nov.-Dec. 2011 – Public opinion polls suggest that the citizens of Canada, Mexico, and the United States are ready for greater regional cooperation. To deflect “sovereignty-zealots” and other myopic opponents of broader integration, Pastor calls on leaders to articulate a hopeful vision of integration while making practical progress on immediate problems. His book constitutes a brave master plan…                                                  

U.S. official muses about joint border controls with Canada – Yahoo! News Canada, March 6, 2012 – Imagine a ‘North American’ customs agent inspecting your luggage as you return from your European vacation. According to a report in the Globe and Mail, a top U.S. Homeland Security official says it could happen.

U.S. passports on verge of elimination?
Soros-funded plan champions ‘North American Union’
WND, Jan 28, 2015 – A Soros-funded group arguing to replace the U.S. passport with a North American passport appears ready to take up the mantle of championing the concept of a European Union-style regional government to supersede the sovereignty of the United States, Mexico and Canada, fulfilling the dream of the late American University professor Robert Pastor.

Obama Wants 100,000 Mexican Students Studying in U.S. Every Year
‘Three Amigos’ agree on ‘trusted traveler’ program
USA Today, Feb 19, 2014 – North American leaders agreed Wednesday on creating a continent-wide “trusted traveler” program, allowing vetted individuals to cross borders quickly…. The leaders also agreed on measures to harmonize customs data, improve infrastructure and increase co-operation with Central America…. Obama said he wanted 100,000 Mexican students studying in the United States every year…

Europe, Mexico to seek new trade pact to deepen North American ties  Today’s Zaman (Turkey), May 11, 2015 – The European Union and Mexico will launch negotiations towards a new free-trade agreement later this year, as Europe seeks to tie its economy closer to North America following a deal with Canada and efforts to sign an accord with the United States.

Why Republicans Are Suddenly Pro-Immigration Reform – The Atlantic, November 14, 2012 – The GOP establishment has long wanted to pass comprehensive immigration reform but been cowed by its activist base. Tuesday’s election gave them an opening.
[This must be seen in its context toward a “free flow” of people and commerce within a North American continental perimeter. This “free flow” is a key goal of all the world’s geopolitical regional integration programs to eliminate the sovereignty of nations under regional governance.]

Canada And The United States, A Singular Partnership  – Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, August 20, 2012 – The Editor interviews John F. Prato, Consul General of Canada in New York.
Prato: The goal of the Action Plan is to make the perimeter of North America more secure than ever and relieve pressures at the border itself so we can free up the flows of legitimate people, goods and services….For example, goods arriving in Canada or the United States from outside the North American perimeter will be screened once at their first point of arrival. They would then be shipped directly to their North American destination without the need for duplicate inspections along the way, even if they cross the land border.

Plan speeds flow of goods to U.S. – Minister unable to provide cost of ‘inspected once, cleared twice’ pilot project
The Province (Canada), October 22, 2012 – Canada Border Services Agency personnel will inspect cargo and secure it with high-security bolt seals, negating the need for another inspection at the U.S. border.

A Common Purpose – Windsor Star (Canada), Feb. 21, 2012 – The overall goal is to create a continental security perimeter to better share information, facilitate the free flow of goods and services and make the necessary infrastructure improvements at border crossings. The perimeter would serve as the first line of defence against terrorists and other security threats to external borders, ports and airports. It would pave the way for the faster flow of people and goods and services across our traditional border through the harmonization of regulations and practices.

Canada And The United States, A Singular Partnership – Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, August 20, 2012 – The Editor interviews John F. Prato, Consul General of Canada in New York. Prato: The goal of the Action Plan is to make the perimeter of North America more secure than ever and relieve pressures at the border itself so we can free up the flows of legitimate people, goods and services….For example, goods arriving in Canada or the United States from outside the North American perimeter will be screened once at their first point of arrival. They would then be shipped directly to their North American destination without the need for duplicate inspections along the way, even if they cross the land border.

NAFTA Tribunals:
From the Archives: Review of U.S. Rulings by Nafta Tribunals Stirs Worries – New York Times, April 18, 2004 – T]he tribunal declared a Mississippi court’s judgment at odds with international law, leaving the United States government potentially liable for hundreds of millions of dollars…. “This is the biggest threat to United States judicial independence that no one has heard of and even fewer people understand,” said John D. Echeverria, a law professor at Georgetown University…. The availability of this additional layer of review, above even the United States supreme Court, is a significant development, legal scholars said….The tribunals have the potential to upset the settled American constitutional order.

Beyond the Border is too timid – By Stephen Blank, Winnipeg Free Press, Dec. 21, 2011 – To compete in the emerging global economy, we need to think in terms of big ideas — about free trade in freight transportation, a North American energy strategy and a North American infrastructure strategy. Keeping heads down, under the legislative radar, is an attractive but dangerous approach….If we act like conspirators, we will surely be suspected of conspiracy.      [Too late on that one, Mr. Blank.]

Buy North American and save ourselves – By Robert Pastor, Globe and Mail (Canada), Feb. 11, 2012 – “Buy North American” could be the mantra for helping the U.S. recognize the importance of both neighbours…. Thus, the best way to multiply our exports and accelerate growth would be to create a seamless market and construct a North American transportation and infrastructure grid….The “North American idea” has to be big enough to inspire people in all three countries to forge a formidable region able to compete with a dynamic East Asia.

Pastors Support Immigration Reform  – ChristianityToday, Nov 18, 2013 – Fifty-eight percent of Protestant pastors agree with the statement: “I am in favor of immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for those who are currently in the country illegally.” Just over half (51 percent) agree that, “Immigration reform will help our church, denomination or movement reach Hispanic Americans.”
Such pastors are willingly ignorant of the fact that this “reform” is part of an insidious, systematic process of harmonizing North America into a regional governance more resembling Mexico’s than the constitutional government of the U.S. These pastors’ support is empowering  the very world system that pastors are charged to preach against, which vows to reverse God’s decree at the Tower of Babel that established the sovereignty of nations (Deuteronomy 32:8; Acts 17:26).

Evangelicals and US immigration reform  – Bakersfield Californian, Nov 8, 2013 – Of the major American religious groups, white evangelicals are the most skeptical about immigration. According to a recent poll by the Pew Research Center’s Religion and Public Life Project, more than 60 percent believe that the growing number of immigrants “threatens traditional American customs and values” and more than half view immigrants as economic burdens rather than contributors. At the same time, many evangelical leaders and institutions — including the National Association of Evangelicals, and the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention — are high-profile advocates for comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for undocumented workers.

Obama Pushes Immigration Reform After Meeting with McCain – Breitbart.com, Nov 8, 2013 – One day after asking Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to meet with him in the White House to determine strategies for passing comprehensive immigration reform, President Barack Obama made another push for the controversial legislation on Friday in a speech in New Orleans. Obama urged House Republicans to pass immigration reform legislation “this year.” He claimed comprehensive immigration reform should “not be a partisan issue,” citing George W. Bush’s embrace of the legislation that turned off conservatives.

Gov. Christie Voices Support For In-State Tuition For Undocumented Immigrants  – Fox News Latino, Oct 14, 2013 – Gov. Chris Christie said at a Latino gala over the weekend that New Jersey should allow undocumented immigrants to attend public colleges at the same tuition rates as other residents of the state.

North American energy independence remains elusive – Arab News (Saudi Arabia), April 8, 2012 – This emerging North American energy landscape, free from dependence on Middle East, is based on a number of factors. Shale gas developments gave rise to this revolution, and it was soon complemented by tight oil in the United Sates, the oil sand of Canada and the growing energy outflow from Mexico.  
[The internationalist media will continue to assert that U.S. economic independence must require a North American context. In reality, the U.S. has the resources itself without the need a Keystone Pipeline, North American Highway, or any other “regional mechanism.” In order for the U.S. to reclaim economic independence, we must see environmentalist and business regulatory strangleholds, Middle East oil crises and their accompanying terrorism for what they are: created conflicts to force the United States into North American regional governance within the globalists’ New World Order of regions.]

Mexico’s Election: A Vote for Peace, a Plan for War  – The Nation, July 11, 2012 – For the first time…the CIA and US military personnel are working side by side to plan operations, which are “devised to get around Mexican laws that prohibit foreign military and police from operating on its soil.” The Obama administration is sending aerial drones deep into Mexican territory to track the traffickers and coordinate de facto counterterrorism efforts. One US official at the Northern Command says, “the military is trying to take what it did in Afghanistan and do the same in Mexico.” This isn’t hyperbole; the US ambassador to Mexico is Earl Anthony Wayne, who was America’s deputy ambassador in Kabul from 2009 through 2011.

Towards a North American Police State and Security Perimeter: US-Canada “Beyond the Border Agreement” – GlobalResearch.ca, May 14, 2012 – Through the Beyond the Border agreement released in December 2011, the U.S. and Canada are quietly implementing initiatives that are working towards establishing a North American security perimeter….As the U.S.-Canada action plan implementation process continues, there still remains many concerns with the further integration and militarization of the northern border. This includes the loss of sovereignty and risks to privacy rights related to more cross-border sharing of personal information. While there have been online consultations surrounding the perimeter security agreement, there has yet to be any open public hearings or congressional and parliamentary debates.

HARMONIZATION OF REGULATIONS, INDUSTRY

Regulatory Cooperation Council to harmonize economic regimes – Canadian Sailings, June 12, 2012 – The bilateral Canada–United States Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) was created by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Barack Obama in February 2011 as part of the broader Beyond the Border action plan. RCC’s mandate is to align regulatory approaches across a broad spectrum of industries, including agriculture and food, health and personal care products and workplace chemicals, environment and transportation.
Canada, U.S. a step closer to harmonized regulations – 24 Hours Vancouver, August 3, 2012 – The embassy confirms the joint Canada-U.S. Regulatory Cooperation Council now has a fully laid-out plan for what steps officials will take over the next two years to create common regulations in a host of areas, including transport along the St. Lawrence Seaway, meat inspections and new car safety standards.
Retail Council of Canada calls for harmonizing standards with U.S. – Daily Exchange (Canada), Dec. 30, 2011 – “Our members are committed to providing Canadian consumers with the safest products that meet all government standards,” said Diane J. Brisebois, president and CEO of RCC, adding that consumers need to be assured that different standards do not mean different quality. “Our members feel that the standards should be the same across North America.”

INTEGRATED ‘NORTH AMERICAN’ INFRASTRUCTURE

TransCanada Expects Keystone XL Approval After Obama Re-election – Fox Business, (This article was originally published Friday.) Published November 12, 2012 Dow Jones Newswires – November 9, 2012 – TransCanada Corp. (TRP) still expects to receive White House approval for its 830,000-barrels-a-day Keystone XL pipeline project after President Barack Obama’s re-election, the company said Wednesday.

Former Suncor CEO says B.C. pipelines a matter of Canadian sovereignty
Calgary Herald, October 14, 2012 – In the book, George said he considers Keystone XL to be a “double-edged sword” for Canada.”While it will boost this country’s crude oil sales to the United States, it also will bind Canada more tightly to the U.S. market. This prospect brings some inherent dangers with it, yet I rarely heard that discussed in the exchanges between the two sides.”

Houston’s I-69 traffic expected to soar to 350,000 by 2035 – Houston Chronicle, August 6, 2012 – Experts say traffic will increase regardless of whether the so-called NAFTA Superhighway, envisioned two decades ago as a trade route from Mexico through Houston to Canada, is fully built. Gov. Rick Perry initially proposed a more elaborate Trans-Texas Corridor that would be an entirely new thoroughfare that included room for rail and utilities.
[The North American Highway system is part of the North American regional infrastructure project that includes the Keystone pipeline. Similar regional infrastructure projects are underway in the ASEAN region, SAARC, the Arab League, the GCC, the African Union, and UNASUR.]
A New Chapter of NAFTA Unfolds – Financial Post (National Post – Canada), August 29, 2012 – “San Antonio is the hub of NAFTA,” says [Mexican Business Association Chairman Eduardo Bravo]. “It…serves as a vital center for NAFTA related surface trade and logistics, with Interstate 35—the Pan American Highway—and Interstate 10 providing unparalleled distribution access for every direction in North America.”
Trade corridors need protection from protectionism – Winnipeg Free Press, September 25, 2012 – Improving transportation for the flow of people and movement of goods is the focus of this week’s meeting in Winnipeg of the North American Corridor Coalition (NASCO), the tri-national association of heartland states and provinces, cities and business that support more than a trillion dollars in continental commerce.The infrastructure that serves our production chains — our roads and rail lines, our sea and airports, our power grids and pipelines that fuel our factories and offices — must link seamlessly.
[NASCO was one of the original point organizations pushing the North American Highway system, as shown in this illustration from a few years ago. At that time, the idea of a North American Highway was derided as a “conspiracy theory,” and many politicians denied the plan’s existence, but it is now is admitted and openly advocated by globalists. The highway is part of a North American infrastructure plan that includes railroads, pipelines and utility grids. The Keystone X pipeline is part of the network.]
Teamsters Respond to Government on Mexican Truck Program – Bradenton Herald, March 8, 2012 – “The FMCSA makes the bizarre argument that our members aren’t harmed by a program that opens the border to low-paid truck drivers and dangerous, dirty trucks….U.S. commercial truck drivers must follow all U.S. safety regulations while Mexican drivers only need to follow selected Mexican regulations. The government is flat-out wrong to say Mexican trucks and drivers meet equivalent standards.”

CONTINENTAL SECURITY PERIMETER

A Perimeter Approach To Security And The Transformation Of The U.S.-Canada Border – Counter Currents, March 14, 2012 – Through a series of bilateral meetings, U.S. and Canadian officials are busy working out the details of the perimeter security action plan. This includes a recent joint crime forum which dealt with border and law enforcement issues. These various discussions are part of the implementation process which when finished would bring about the complete transformation of the northern border and another step closer in the creation of a fully integrated North American security perimeter.

The End of Canada as a Sovereign Nation State? Canada, the US and the “Security Perimeter” – Global Research (Canada), Dec. 17, 2011 – The security agreement uses the threat of terrorism, crime and health securities to announce an increasing merger of the two countries’ border security, including an integrated entry-exit system that will involve full sharing of individuals’ biometric details between the two governments by 2014 and even the creation of integrated cross-border law enforcement teams with authority to collect intelligence and conduct criminal investigations on either side of the border.

The Pretext for a North American Homeland Security Perimeter – OpEd News, Dec. 12, 2011 – Prime Minister Harper proclaimed that, “These agreements create a new, modern order for a new century. Together, they represent the most significant steps forward in Canada-U.S. cooperation since the North American Free Trade Agreement.”

NAFTA Triumverate Moves to Further Cement Continental Union – Pacific Free Press, April 10, 2012 – On April 2, President Barack Obama hosted Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon for the sixth North American Leaders Summit….In their joint communique, the leaders recognized, “the growing regional and federal cooperation in the area of continental energy, including electricity generation… They emphasized the need to deepen, “cooperation to enhance our collective energy security, including the safe and efficient exploration and exploitation of resources.”….Mexico’s drug war is increasingly being seen as a continental problem that requires continental solutions which is further pushing the NAFTA partnership into a common security front. This is escalating the militarization of the borders, integration in areas of law enforcement and the military, as well as advancing the development of a North American security perimeter.

Years after NAFTA, first long-haul Mexican truck enters U.S. – Reuters, October 21, 2011 – The first Mexican truck bound for the U.S. interior crossed at the international bridge at Laredo, Texas, on Friday, carrying electronic equipment destined for suburban Dallas and fulfilling a controversial provision of the 1994 North American Free Trade Act.

Placing a New North American Initiative in its Economic Policy Context
[This document, released by WikiLeaks on April 28, 2011, is a 2005 U.S. embassy cable from Ottawa signed by then-U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci.]
THIS MESSAGE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION OUTSIDE USG CHANNELS  – 2005-01-28….CURRENCY UNION: Canadian economists are split on whether a return to a fixed exchange rate, or adopting the U.S. dollar, would benefit Canada in current circumstances…. The central bank governor has taken the position that “monetary union is an issue that should be considered once we have made more progress towards establishing a single market.”

North America – Older Articles