Descripcion: In a March 2008 speech in Ottawa, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Bernier noted that a core objective of Canada’s engagement in the Americas is to enhance prosperity in the hemisphere. The minister noted that Canada’s free trade agreements with United States, Mexico, and Chile has been “key to improving the lives of citizens” because they “have deepened engagement with our partners well beyond the economic agenda.” However, the minister also noted that “[f]ree trade alone… is not enough to ensure our mutual prosperity.” He identified a number of other necessary conditions, including attention to corporate social responsibility, research and development, investment, labour markets and natural resource management.