Harper government hopes TPP deal is signed before election campaign kickoff

WATCH: The Trans-Pacific Partnership deal or TPP is close to being signed. The deal will encompass nearly 40 percent of the global economy and shape our economic future for decades to come. Twelve countries – including Canada and the U.S. – are negotiating, but with any negotiation comes concessions. Jacques Bourbeau reports.

OTTAWA – The Conservatives are anxiously hoping to sign off on a massive free-trade deal before kicking off an election campaign that’s expected to start as early as Sunday.

The federal government is at the negotiating table in Hawaii, where Trans-Pacific Partnership talks are reportedly in their final stages.

With voting day set for Oct. 19, the governing Tories want to launch the campaign with the deal in hand — an agreement they could brandish as evidence of their economic stewardship.

The partnership, a pact between 12 countries including Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Japan, is poised to become the biggest trade deal in history once ratified.

Experts say if the talks continue after the start of the campaign, they could prove politically sensitive for the government.

In particular, Canada is under pressure from other countries to lower the high tariffs that currently protect domestic producers of eggs, milk, cheese and poultry from foreign competition.