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[This thesis] is an interdisciplinary examination of the effects of North American trade liberalization on women workers in Canada's clothing sector. This thesis takes a four-pronged approach to assess the decline of Canadian clothing manufacturing under the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the potential implications of the recently adopted North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). First, I present a historical sketch of women's work in the Canadian clothing industry. Second, I examine employment trends in Canadian clothing manufacturing since 1980, demonstrating that this sector embarked on a downward trajectory after the introduction of the FTA. Third, I investigate how intra-sectoral and inter-sectoral relations in clothing and textiles industries throughout North America contribute to the vulnerable status of the Canadian clothing industry under free trade. Fourth, the thesis culminates with a detailed examination of the clothing and textile provisions contained in the NAFTA text. This final analysis reveals several tangible consequences of the agreement. The findings of this study highlight the tenuous status of the Canadian clothing industry under the NAFTA. As an outgrowth of the FTA, the NAFTA is poised to intensify the recent erosion of this important manufacturing industry since it institutes highly restrictive rules governing North American clothing trade. As such, the NAFTA endangers the status of the clothing industry as a primary industrial employer of women in Canada.

OCLC: 46502073