Gearing up for NAFTA talks

The leader of the Official Opposition is calling out Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's credentials handling the North American Free Trade Agreement file, less than a month before negotiations with the U.S. and Mexico get underway.

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"I've always been worried about Justin Trudeau's attitude towards trade. We saw during the softwood lumber negotiations that he failed to get an extension while President Obama was still in office," said Conservative PartyLeader Andrew Scheer in an interview with CBC Radio'sThe House.

"He seems so focused on a trade deal with China that nobody wants that they're forgetting and not prioritizing a trade deal that everybody needs. They're not working hard enough on this NAFTA [file] and they're trying to confuse issues now. So I think they're mishandling the trade file."

In the wake of Trump's inauguration Canadian politicians from various stripes and levels of government have been booking flights south to pitch Canada's merits to U.S. lawmakers with a similar message track.

"The government and everyone, whether it's MPs, premiers, mayors, legislators... I think it needs to be a full-court press to make sure that everyone here understands the importance of that relationship," then interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose said from Washington hours before Trump took his oath.

Scheer said his party will continue to represent a united front when Conservative members of parliament are on trade trips, but it's a different story on home soil.

"When it comes to the way that the Liberal government is handling it, when we're talking to Canadians about how these things should be handled, we will always hold the government to account. That's our job," he said.

Manitoba foreseeslong road ahead on NAFTA

Some of the politicians who have picked up the NAFTA torch include Canada's premiers, who have met with their counterparts and other U.S. officials in the past six months.

With billions of dollars worth of trade and hundreds of jobs on the line, it's no wonder the trade deal was on the table at the annualCounciloftheFederation meeting held in Edmonton this week.

"We don't want to upset the apple cart when it comes to the very productive partnership that we have," said Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister.

This week, Canada's ambassadorto the U.S. offered some advice on how to avoid mishandling the NAFTA file.

"We have to find ways where he can declare victory without it being seen in either Mexico or Canada as being a loss," David MacNaughton told the Toronto Star this week.

Pallister says he doesn't think it's wise to talk tactics.

"I'm not in the business of helping President Trump quite frankly. I'm in the business of helping Manitobans," he said.

And he's not expecting any resolution by the early 2018 date that's been floated.

"I would suggest this is a negociation which should be entered into sincerely, genuinely and in a straightforward matter," he said.

"I expect the negotiationsactually will go longer rather than shorter."

U.S. perspective

The Trump administration has sent out their save the date card for NAFTA renegotiations, but the Aug. 16 date is just the start of an arduous process.

"The Trump administrations is going to have to figure out first how to negotiate the changes with Canada and Mexico to create a new deal that all three sides will agree to, and then they're going to have to push it through Congress and make sure it somehow strikes a balance between giving NAFTA the changes it needs without dismantling trade across North America," Politico trade reporter Megan Cassella told The House.

The United State Trade Representatives' list of objectives, published on Monday, borrows heavily from theTrans-Pacific Partnership, which Trump bashed and scraped soon after taking office.

"That's where it's going to get a little politically tricky for the Trump administration. Trump's base was promised an overhaul they were promised they were going to pull out of NAFTA or that they'd completely rewrite it and the U.S. would get its jobs back," Cassella said.

"Based on these objectives that's not what we're seeing."

With Obamacare repeal and Russia investigation dominating the news cycle, the proposed early 2018 deadline is looking more and more aspirational.

"There's a lot going on in Wahsington right now to say the least," she said. But "when the White House wants to change the message and they want to get back to somewhere where they think their rhetoric resonates and where they think they're getting their point across, they turn to trade."

To unite or not, that is the question

Saturday is the day where we'll find out if Premier Rachel Notley and the NDP face a United Conservative Party in the next provincial election.

• Alberta's Wildrose, PCs agree to create new United Conservative Party

About 40,000 Wildrose members and 50,000 PCs are eligible to vote on an agreement to form a new United Conservative Party.

While PC members have to approve the agreement by a simple majority of 50 per cent plus one, the threshold for the Wildrose is much higher at 75 per cent.

"Ninety, 95 per cent of our policies and ideas are identical. It is that five per cent that is somewhat different but we need to think about how important it is that we consolidate in one movement to beat the NDP in the next election," said Wildrose Leader Brian Jean.

Jean says he's optimitic all the conservative-leaning MLAs in Alberta will come under one tent.

"I think all the MLAs are in a unique time in history. They get an opportunity to define the Conservative movement going forward."

Bellegarde wants a seat at the Premiers' table

The National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations isn't satisfied with being on the margins of the premiers' annual summer gathering anymore. That's why Perry Bellegarde decided to boycott this week's meeting in Edmonton.

Along with InuitTapiriitKanatamiPresidentNatanObedandMtisNational Council PresidentClmentChartier, Bellegarde decided to skip what he called a "prep meeting" with the premiers on Monday, ahead of the Council of the Federation gathering on Tuesday.

• Indigenous leaders boycott 'segregated' premiers meeting in Edmonton

The AFNChief told The House that First Nations need to be at the same table as the provinces for those meetings, and for all federal-provincial gatherings, saying there have been efforts over the past year to exclude Indigenous leaders instead of including them.

"Whether they're talking about the health accord, whether they're talking about the environment, the economy or education, our voices need to be at those tables. And there were attempts made to lessen that involvement," Bellegarde said.

"We're not warmly invited, it's almost like we have to push our way to get our voices heard at that table."

But the National Chief said he's open to returning to the Council of the Federation meeting next year if significant changes take place.

"Invitation to attend their federal-provincial meetings, invitation to formally attend the Council of the Federation meeting next year, so we'll be reaching out to whoever hosts it next year," he said.