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Ottawa says Canada-EU free-trade deal not at risk of falling apart

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, centre, smiles with Herman Van Rompuy, left, President of the European Council, and Jose Manuel Barroso, right, President of the European Commission at the Canada-European Union Summit in Toronto on Friday, September 26, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

OTTAWA – The federal government says Canada’s free-trade deal with Europe is not at risk of falling apart.

A French cabinet minister told Montreal Le Devoir that his country wants to renegotiate one particular clause that allows businesses to sue governments.

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READ MORE: European leaders say trade deal with Canada is done

Matthias Fekl said France will not ratify the agreement if its proposals are not accepted.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper signed the deal last September with then-European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and Herman Van Rompuy, who at the time was president of the European Council.

The comprehensive agreement in principle is still being finalized.

A spokesman for International Trade Minister Ed Fast said today that both parties are completing a legal review and that the work is on track.

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