Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he wanted to read the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal before passing judgment on it – and now he’ll have his chance. The text of the agreement finalized Oct. 5 between a dozen Pacific Rim countries was released Thursday, revealing details of the pact.
In all, it contains hundreds of pages of provisions governing the trade of a vast range of goods, including cars, cheese and wine.
When the agreement was announced during the federal election campaign, Stephen Harper hailed it as a landmark deal. But a few industries – namely the auto and dairy sectors – decried it, saying it would threaten the livelihoods of thousands of workers.
WATCH: (Oct. 9) Justin Trudeau says Liberals are ‘pro-trade’ but hesitates to support TPP
The dairy industry expressed concerns that the TPP would dismantle supply management, a system that limits foreign competition through tariffs in an effort to protect domestic production.
Auto workers were fuming over a provision that would phase out tariffs on imported vehicles.
Copyright activists also said they feared Canadians could face lawsuits, fines or worse for ripping CDs or uploading animated GIF files and called on Trudeau to act.
After the tentative deal was announced, then-prime minister Stephen Harper promised a $4.3 billion package for dairy farmers and $1 billion for the auto sector in an effort to boost exports and protect jobs in those industries.
The White House said that during a phone call between Trudeau and U.S. President Barack Obama they discussed “the need to move forward with implementing the high standards” of the TPP, and Japan has also said it’s keen to move forward with Canada on the deal that covers 40 per cent of the global economy.
The agreement, which includes a series of side deals for Canada and other signatories, is still subject to ratification.
Comments