U.S., Canada Weigh Possibility of Petrochemical Free Trade

Abstract

Like Lazarus of biblical fame, the idea of freer, if not completely free, trade between the U.S. and Canada has been raised from the dead. In both countries, influential political and business leaders are now solidly in favor of negotiating duty-free trade in several industrial sectors. If the idea becomes a reality—and there is an excellent chance that it will-petrochemicals will be in the forefront of the strongest assault toward bilateral free trade between the two countries since they signed the duty-free automotive trade agreement in 1965. Certainly chemical industry leaders on both sides of the border are taking the possibility very seriously. Already, two lengthy meetings on the subject have been held between the Chemical Manufacturers Association and its Canadian counterpart, the Canadian Chemical Producers Association (CCPA). Officials of both organizations emphasize that their meetings were preliminary and exploratory. 'They absolutely were not negotiations.” says one official; only govern...