ABSTRACT
The activity and relevance of subfederal societal actors is shaped primarily by the form and practice of federalism in the United States, Canada and Mexico. This chapter presents many questions regarding the nature of sub-federal societal activity related to trade policy in North America. It focuses on institutional realities at the subfederal, federal, and trinational levels. The role of subfederal societal actors is primarily defined by the form and practice of federalism in all three countries. Subfederal civil society has only a limited impact on foreign trade policy in North America. On another level, broader societal engagement is limited by a series of other problems. One example is consultation fatigue. Governments and nongovernmental interests face limited resources; most groups do not have the capacity to engage in dialogue with different ministries at both levels of government. The chapter examines existing transnational linkages and determines if they represented a new form of governance in North America.
