Majority of Canadians want to renegotiate NAFTA?

The following poll was done by Angus Reid back on July 22nd. It is an interesting read. Liblogs blogger James Curran also talks about it here.

The key findings of the poll:

1. 46% think the U.S. has benefited more from NAFTA than the other North American countries; Mexico at 30%, Canada at 7%
2. 52% want to renegotiate NAFTA, 18% happy with status quo, 11% want Canada to leave NAFTA
3. 50% think NAFTA has not benefited Canadian workers at all
4. More than half see at least moderate benefits for Canadian employers, Canadian manufacturers and the Canadian economy in general

I think the key points here are that the majority of Canadians feel that there has been at least moderate benefit to Canadian employers and the economy, and that only a small percentage of respondents want out of the pact completely. It is also interesting that support for the renegotiation of NAFTA is pretty consistent across party lines. Also, a plurality of Canadians feel that the USA has benefited the most out of NAFTA. Though, I have to wonder if the Americans in the rustbelt feel the same way?

I think there has been a decrease in support for NAFTA due to the political posturing by the candidates during the American primaries. And after the November election interest in NAFTA will decrease, and no one but conspiracy nuts will be wanking about it.

The bottom line is that while points in NAFTA could be improved upon, overall, it has been very successful for all parties involved.