Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty told Canada AM that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's criticisms of the North American Free Trade Agreement are "missing the point."
Both Clinton and Obama expressed their intention to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement on becoming U.S. president unless the deal is renegotiated, in a debate Tuesday.
The rivals have been critical of the long-standing trade agreement over the course of the Democratic primaries, saying that the deal has cost U.S. workers' jobs.
At first, Flaherty told Canada AM Wednesday morning that he "was not going to get involved in their electoral race."
But he did have words for those who think the trade agreement is not beneficial for America.
"(They) should recognize that NAFTA benefits the U.S. tremendously," Flaherty said. "Those who speak of it as helpful to (just the) Canadian or Mexican economies are missing the point."
Liberal MP and finance critic, John McCallum said on Canada AM that the U.S. pulling out of NAFTA "would be a disaster for Canada."
But he added that, "I hope and I believe that it's politics, because they're in a high-stakes contest. I believe after this nominee is decided, this issue will go away."
But John Fortier, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise institute, said that in an effort to gain votes in the anti-NAFTA state of Ohio, each candidate might find themselves "locked-in" to their pledge to renegotiate NAFTA.
"Last night, both candidates really locked themselves in to at least doing some serious renegotiation," Fortier told Canada AM. "But how serious they are and what the changes (will be) . . . that's another question.
"But I don't know how Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton can get out of last night's very clear pledge that they are going to use the opt-out (clause) as a threat to do some serious renegotiation."
Obama and Clinton's comments came during Tuesday's debate in Cleveland, Ohio between the two Democrats vying for their party's nomination -- one week before the crucial primaries in Ohio and Texas.
Each candidate was quite specific about using the six month opt-out clause in NAFTA, to pressure Canada and Mexico into renegotiating the deal.
"I have (a) very specific plan and it does include telling Canada and Mexico that we will opt out unless we renegotiate the core labour and environmental standards," Clinton said.
Obama followed Clinton's lead -- a rare area of agreement between the pair during the debate.
"I will make sure that we renegotiate in the same way that Senator Clinton talked about," he said. "I think . . . Senator Clinton's answer on this one is right. I think we should use the hammer of a potential opt-out as leverage."
NAFTA is seen as wildly unpopular with blue collar workers in the U.S., whose votes are significant in a state like Ohio.
The March 4 primaries are seen as vital for each candidate, but particularly Clinton. It is expected that without a decisive win in both Texas and Ohio, she has no chance of winning the Democratic nomination.
Clinton once had a large lead in each state, but recent polls are showing the candidates as close to even, with Obama surging ahead.
Early polls show that there is a strong possibility of a Democrat in the White House in January 2009.
Obama, in particular, is surging in popularity throughout the U.S. and some polls give the Illinois senator an almost double-digit lead if he were to run head-to-head against the expected Republican candidate, John McCain.
