CBC Archives

Ask students what they think the main issues would have been in the debate on the proposed Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement in the 1980s. Have them discuss why they think this debate was so important to Canadians of the time.

Have students examine the topic Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement on the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site. Have them note the major participants and issues from both sides, in support of or in opposition to the deal.

Divide the class into small groups. In each group, students will role-play individuals or members of a group who took a position in the free trade debate. Have students review their notes on the issues, then prepare their individual arguments. Each group will prepare and present an informal debate, in role, to share the information they gathered. Presentations might be in the form of a round-table interview, a town-hall meeting, a televised news feature, and so on.

Have the class evaluate how successfully each group handled the issue and presented the arguments. As a class, list the major issues on both sides of the free trade debate. Ask: Why would a technical, economic issue become so important and elicit such strong and passionate feelings among Canadians?

Students can write a position paper stating which side of the debate they themselves would support and why.