Men like Adam Smith, William Wilberforce and Abraham Lincoln recognized that free markets and free societies could only exist where all people are free. This hard-earned victory, however, is being systematically attacked in Canada and, indeed, around the world, with a resurgence in the last two decades of human trafficking — a modern-day form of slavery.
Anti-free trade rhetoric is “in” this campaign season in the U.S. While it is a gauche trend, there is reason to hope it will be a passing fad. Cleveland, Ohio was the site of the Democratic Presidential hopefuls’ latest debate. Here anti-NAFTA posturing reached its peak with Senator Hillary Clinton declaring that if she could not “renegotiate” NAFTA, then she would “opt out” of it. Senator Barrack Obama agreed.
David H. Wilkins, a native of Greenville, South Carolina, became the United States Ambassador to Canada on June 29, 2005. Ambassador Wilkins has traveled throughout Canada extensively and has visited every province and territory.
Free trade, protecting individual liberty, promoting democratic governance and alleviating suffering are all components of a conservative foreign policy. However, the achievement of these objectives is being hamstrung by the traditional (and increasingly antiquated) theory of realism.