	u s senate  leader concerned about canada the chairman of the u s senate committee with jurisdiction over  said he was concerned about a resolution on bilateral  negotiations adopted by the canadian house of commons last week the resolution supports negotiation of a bilateral trading agreement with the united states while protecting canadian political sovereignty social programs agricultural marketing systems the auto industry and canada s cultural identity senate finance committee chairman lloyd bentsen said the resolution may jeopardize the viability of the proposed free  agreement between the two countries which are each other s largest trading partners we need a truly free  agreement which means both countries have to work toward a deal that is mutually beneficial and comprehensive a large agreement the texas democrat said in a statement i do not question canada s right to protect its political sovereignty or cultural identity however if these phrases mean the government of canada means to take important economic issues off the table in these negotiations i am deeply concerned he added bentsen said canada restricts  different ways while the united states uses only six  restriction methods he said if canada proposes an agreement where both countries get rid of six methods of  restriction it would not be fair and might not win senate approval i am deeply concerned that when the president visits prime minister brian mulroney next month he will be presented with this kind of argument and i hope he makes it clear as i did when i was in canada that only a mutually beneficial agreement will be successful bentsen said reagan and mulroney are scheduled to meet april in ottawa bentsen urged mulroney to withdraw a proposal that would ban imports of independently produced films into canada by non canadians which the senator called a protectionist measure reuter 
