United Conservative Party leadership candidate Brian Jean says it's too early for him to worry about a strong position articulated by the U.S. trade representative in the opening day of talks to revise the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Jean made that statement during an interview with reporters while campaigning in Olds late last week.
During the first day of the talks this past Wednesday, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said, "We feel that NAFTA has fundamentally failed many, many Americans and needs major improvement.
"We cannot ignore the huge trade deficits, the lost manufacturing jobs, the businesses that have closed or moved because of incentives ó intended or not ó in the current agreement."
There are concerns about what negotiated changes to the agreement could mean for cattle exports as well as the energy industry ñ both major employers in Alberta.
Jean said he's confident that in the end, the Canadian government will negotiate changes that will benefit the country.
"Well you know, I'm going to wait to see the final outcome, but I will tell you NAFTA is one of the best agreements Canada has ever been party to," he said.
"Everybody gets -- throws things out at the beginning. Let's see what happens at the end. You know, I just know that the most important thing is to represent the people of Canada and I'm certain that they'll do that."
