Gale Encyclopedia of American Law Volume 2 P26 fully illuminates today's leading cases, major statutes, legal terms and concepts, notable persons involved with the law, important documents and more. Legal issues are fully discussed in easy-to-understand language, including such high-profile topics as the Americans with Disabilities Act, capital punishment, domestic violence, gay and lesbian rights, physician-assisted suicide and thousands more. | 238 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES history of retaliatory actions. This hindrance stood in stark contrast to the countries cultural similarities and cooperation in other areas. They had been allies in both world wars and both remained key members of the north ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION NATO . But war is an unusual circumstance military allies can still be less than friendly in trade. Then the second half of the twentieth century unexpectedly changed everything domestic industrial decline brought on by a rise in international competition toppled the United States from a position of preeminence and made Canada more important to its plans for long-range prosperity. Canada underwent a great change in its historically isolationist outlook as it too suffered economically. The 1984 election of a conservative Canadian government led by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney was a watershed event. Mulroney s victory was based on promises of opening . markets to Canadian business. Both sides wanted to remove the barriers of high tariffs antidumping fees and countervailing duties forms of protectionism that limited the expansion of each nation s markets in order to create new jobs and wealth. On January 2 1988 negotiations between the administrations of President ronald reagan and Prime Minister Mulroney resulted in the signing of the FTA. In succeeding where previous generations had failed or not even tried Reagan declared that the FTA would remove an invisible barrier of economic suspicion and fear. The pact had five broad goals 1 eliminate barriers to trade in goods and services 2 improve fair competition 3 liberalize investment conditions 4 establish procedures for a joint administration of the agreement and 5 lay the foundation for future cooperation. The FTA also relaxed . immiGRATION rules for Canadians allowing freer travel across the border for businesspersons. On the administrative level it created a temporary body for resolving disputes the binational Extraordinary .
