ABSTRACT
In 1991, the Canadian debate over North American free trade entered a new phase when the US Congress authorized the President to initiate free-trade negotiations with Mexico. This chapter examines the roots of the underlying consensus on free trade between the two parties. In each party, support for free trade stems from a distinct view of Quebec nationalism and from particular societal pressures. The chapter describes the changing politics of free trade in Quebec in the 1980s and the alignment of parties as the debate entered a new phase with the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations. It also describes on the survey of Quebec trade politics to speculate about the interaction between the free-trade issue and the future orientation of the Quebec party system. The politics of trade in Quebec revolves around the high level of openness of the Quebec economy and its natural north-south orientation towards the North American market.
