ABSTRACT
In August 2017, over 23 years after it came into effect, talks aimed at modernizing the North American Free Trade Agreement opened in Washington, DC. Initially scheduled to last seven rounds and to be completed in an unprecedentedly fast time-frame, it was very quickly apparent that these talks would extend well into 2018 if any form of agreement was to be reached. It was also evident to many that the renegotiation of NAFTA, up to and including its abrogation, has the potential to have a serious and lasting negative impact on the three participating countries’ economies and therefore on their trade relationships. This is one reason why the NAFTA renegotiations are important to a study of the US-Canada border. As we have seen already, trade relationships and agreements are an important part of the context for the functioning of any border. It matters to a border’s operation whether the countries on either side are part of a free trade agreement, a customs union or some other form of economic union. The type of agreement in place affects the amount and type of trade that crosses the border. In addition, the agreement determines the rules that apply – as in the case of rules of origin – and that have to be enforced at the border. They can also eliminate rules, regulations and institute procedures that can speed up border crossings.
