Drifting Together: The Political Economy of Canada-US Integration

by John N. McDougall

"Drifting Together" examines the effects of free trade on Canada-US relations beyond the dimensions of trade and investment flows. It traces the impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on Canada's cultural policies, communications regulations, cross-border regional interactions, social policy, defence and security policy, and foreign policies beyond the Canada-US relationship. This analysis sets the transformation of Canada-US relations against the backgrounds of both economic history and theories of economic and political integration. John McDougall argues that while the members of the NAFTA are highly unlikely ever to undertake the form of political integration adopted by the European Union, Canada is already engaged in a process of policy harmonization with the United States that amounts to political integration by stealth. Thus, the "integration question" is, for Canada, essentially a question of preserving its democracy.

368 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2006

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as a source for a research essay on Canadian economic integration with the United States. I enjoyed reading it. The author explains the facts clearly and concisely and justifies his position well. Although some data is dated, almost all material is relevant to the topic. I recommend it to anyone interested in the topic of Canadian independence and/or international economic relationships.

[Teghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read this book for a border-policy class I had to take. Wow, dry. That sums up this book. People in my class who were into policy issues found it a really good book, so if it sounds interesting to you, you will probably like it. I'm a cultural theory type gal so this book was way beyond my field of research and way beyond the policy analysis that one would get on the news.