"Like a "bolt out of the blue," the idea of a free trade agreement with Mexico suddenly appeared on the nation’s political agenda. The idea was to replicate the process whereby both the U.S. and Canada had ratified a similar accord. The ultimate objective, it seems, is to create a North American free trade area encompassing the economies of the three nations. Without diverting to a prolonged discussion of the events that led to the Canadian-United States agreement, it is imperative to state the obvious: Mexico is not Canada."