Sylvain Charlebois/National Post: The larger danger is not what disappears from the export ledger when an agreement is signed. It is what happens in corporate boardrooms afterward.
Food companies deciding where to place their next processing plant will compare three markets. The United States offers more than 340 million affluent consumers. Mexico offers lower production costs and, potentially, more predictable American access. Canada offers just over 40 million consumers, high operating costs and uncertainty at the border.
If Mexico secures preferential access while Canadian products remain exposed to tariffs, production intended for the North American market will increasingly be located in Mexico or the United States…