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President John Kennedy stated, “Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners. And necessity has made us allies. Those whom nature hath so joined together, let no man put asunder.”

Later, President Ronald Reagan agreed and expanded the vision, saying, “We can look forward to the day when the free flow of trade, from the southern reaches of Tierra del Fuego to the northern outposts of the Arctic Circle, unites the people of the Western Hemisphere in a bond of mutually beneficial exchange, when all borders become what the U.S.-Canadian border so long has been: a meeting place, rather than a dividing line.”

In 1994, after dedicated hard work by our three governments, Canada, Mexico, and the US signed the North American Free Trade Agreement. Now, for four decades, we’re mutually benefiting from its major enhancements to our economic and political freedoms. The visions of Kennedy and Reagan came true: friends, neighbors, allies, partners. The free exchange of goods and services benefits most everything we need: food, automobiles, aircraft, pharmaceuticals, clothing, electronics, appliances, industrial equipment, and energy…to name just a few segments.

Regarding energy for a moment, our three countries are united by transmission lines and pipelines, sharing energy resources to get the most economic benefit for the citizens of Mexico, Canada, and the United States. These exchanges drive down the prices of energy we’d all otherwise pay, make better use of capital, increase the quality and dependability of supply, AND improve the environment. For just a few examples, excess solar power generated during the daytime moves from sunny areas to colder cloudier areas, at the speed of light. At night, cheap and clean hydro power generated in Canada and the US northwest moves south, at the speed of light. Pipelines from Canada and Mexico carry crude oil to US refineries, and then finished petroleum products are shared within NAFTA, and shipped elsewhere for the benefit of us all.

We’re united by free trade, with much more in common than in difference. Our differences in culture, language, climate, and history are to be celebrated and appreciated. They’re our roots.

These days, the new President of the United States is critical of our relationships; and seems to be missing the joy in our sovereign roots and our mutual successes enhanced by free trade. Thirty-five years of NAFTA, and five years of the USMCA, which he signed and celebrated.

Free trade works. It floats all boats.

None of us knows what he will do tomorrow, on what I’ve been calling “tariff Tuesday.”  But even the threats of disrupting free trade are unsettling.  Destroying NAFTA and USMCA is counter to Kennedy, to Reagan, to the roots of the United States, and to the broad and common interests of all of us in Mexico, Canada, and the US. Destroying NAFTA and the USMCA damages our mutual competitiveness throughout the rest of the world, too. 

Our trade agreements are beacons to the rest of the world! We know we’re all better off when we embrace economic and political freedoms. We suffer when we’re cut off from one another.

SEL is committed to economic and political freedom, and that includes free trade. No matter what happens tomorrow, we will “be there” for our customers in our three countries and around the world. We will “be there” WITH our suppliers at home and around the world. 

We will adapt. We’re dedicated to keeping the lights on, no matter what!

We treasure the friendships, partnerships, collaborations, authorships, common inventions, and other relationships we’ve built over the years.

In front of our headquarters in Pullman, Washington, we have three flagpoles. One flies the flag of the United States and in honor of our friendship and partners to the north and south we will be proudly flying the flags of Mexico and Canada. 

I hope you will join us in embracing free trade, and bear with us as we navigate the uncertainties of politics these days. We will persevere. And recall Winston Churchill’s words, “You Americans always do the right thing after you try everything else.”

Edmund O. Schweitzer, III
Founder
Chairman of the Board
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories