Washington D.C., Nov 26, 2017 / 06:01 am
The U.S. and Mexican bishops' conferences have issued a joint statement saying NAFTA renegotiations must respect the poor, alleviate the need for migration, protect laborers and intellectual property rights, and care for creation, indigenous people, and small farmers.
The statement, issued Nov. 21, urged leaders to remember the "human and moral dimensions" of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, which eliminated many tariffs on trade and investment among the US, Mexico, and Canada.
In July 2017, President Donald Trump initiated talks to renegotiate the agreement, criticizing the impact of the agreement on the American labor market. Talks stalled this week after five rounds, as the Mexican and Canadian government have shown little interest in proposals for revision suggested by the Trump administration.
The joint statement from U.S. and Mexican bishops called for measures beyond NAFTA to "prevent the deepening of inequality between families and regions." The statement also called for negotiators to develop mechanisms respecting "participation rights" in the negotiation process, noting that "human dignity demands that people have a voice in decisions that touch their lives."