It Has Less To Do With Trade And More To Do With Structure.
The structure of the countries involved that is.
I believe the only public lands in the US are the nation's parks and such , unlike Canada where a vast amount of the land is owned by the public, with the Gov't as its keeper.
Thus, there will always be certain differences of opinion on what is a subsidy and what isn't when it comes to resources on those lands.The same is often cited with regard to Universal Health Care and other Social Programs that appear on the surface to subsidize Industry.
But then there are other subsidies that get passed that appear as Socialistic as the next , such as Farm Subsidies, R & D under the auspices of Defense Spending , and so on.
And so it goes.Is one Country right and the other wrong? Absolutely not, unless one country believes their system / ideology is superior. I've seen little to suggest superiority in either system when all is said and done, however , the American system has in the past fostered a more free wheeling, entrepreneurial , market driven economic model , where Canadians had become more entrenched in the go slow conservative approach.
What is interesting is the movement on both sides of the boarder towards each other's previous differences. The US becoming more social centric, and Canada becoming more Capitalist centric .The blurring of the lines , if you will.
As far as discussing trade here , I believe many feel the same as I , that we really didn't have enough information to properly evaluate the issue, and much of the contention in the past was little more than patriotic finger wagging , yours truly included <g>
But with regard to the dispute at hand , I encourage all to follow this though what appears to be an open debate by the participants .It's about time the facts and fantasies were laid out on the table for public scrutiny and edification.
We can each make a more informed and unbiased evaluation once each side has had the opportunity to state its case. Until then I will remain neutral and hope an equitable and fair compromise can be adjudicated that benefits the greater good.
Regards,
KC
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