On 2 January 1988, Canada and the United States signed what was then the most comprehensive free trade agreeement the world had ever seen. This book is the story of those FTA negotiations, the preparations for and conduct of the negotiations, as well as the ideas and issues behind them. From their unique perspective as participants, Michael Hart, Bill Dymond, and Colin Robertson capture the drama and the personalities involved in the long struggle to make a free trade deal. They describe the extensive consultations, the turf-fighting among insiders, the innate caution of both politicians and bureaucrats, and the need to cultivate powerful constituencies in order to overcome the inertia of conventional wisdom.

Michael Hart is Simon Reisman Chair in Trade Policy, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University. A former trade official in Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, he was the founding director of Carleton's Centre for Trade Policy and Law and is the author of numerous books and articles on international trade issues.

Michael Hart's profile page

Bill Dymond's profile page

Colin Robertson's profile page

Loaded with detail about specific issues between the U.S. and Canadian negotiators.

Globe and Mail

Insiders' view of free-trade talks excels in outlining why and how ... satisfying story of the persevering little guy winning an even break from his huge, indifferent neighbour.

The Ottawa Citizen

A book written by bureaucrats that is both interesting and easy to read ... as well as an important revealing account of a vital period in our economic history.

Books in Canada