Categories: Need to know

Canada set to seal EU free trade deal

Tories say “important progress” made during eighth round of negotiations

by macleans.ca on Friday, July 15, 2011 12:22pm - 15 Comments

International Trade Minister Ed Fast says Canada is headed toward closing a free trade deal with the European Union by 2012. Fast says “important progress” was made during eighth-round negotiations with the EU in Brussels this week. A ninth round of talks will take place in October. Fast suggested Canada is willing to offer the EU significant compromises on goods and government purchasing. The Harper government has focused on increasing non-U.S. trade so Canada isn’t so dependent on a single market.

The Globe and Mail

Tags: free trade

Anonymous

Important progress indeed, we’ve apparantly learned how to spread our butt-cheeks wider.

Congrats, Mr. Harper, I see you’re already working hard.

Anonymous

For a guy who doesn’t like gays, he does seem to be awfully fond of doing that.
Anonymous

For a guy who doesn’t like gays, he does seem to be awfully fond of doing that.

Anonymous

It certainly sounds like a good idea when just the brod strokes are presented. But the devil is in the details: what are we giving up for this deal? Whose resources or rights are they trading away?

Wil this agreement prevent things like the illogical and hypocritical banning of seal products? Will it finally give us some teeth in enforcing fishing quotas off our coast – or will it further weaken the enforceability of quotas that EU member nations already break with near impunity?

“…public release right now would harm Ottawa’s negotiating position.” [G&M] Harmed how? By the public backlash when Canadians see what’s been given away?

Negotiations behind closed doors make me nervous. As an expat NLer, I’ve seen NL get screwed over far too many times by Feds trading off our resources to benefit other parts of Canada. I’ve also seen what Harper has already done to NL. I’m willing to bet the deal will sacrificethe east coast yet again to benefit central & western Canada.
Anonymous

It certainly sounds like a good idea when just the brod strokes are presented. But the devil is in the details: what are we giving up for this deal? Whose resources or rights are they trading away?

Wil this agreement prevent things like the illogical and hypocritical banning of seal products? Will it finally give us some teeth in enforcing fishing quotas off our coast – or will it further weaken the enforceability of quotas that EU member nations already break with near impunity?

“…public release right now would harm Ottawa’s negotiating position.” [G&M] Harmed how? By the public backlash when Canadians see what’s been given away?

Negotiations behind closed doors make me nervous. As an expat NLer, I’ve seen NL get screwed over far too many times by Feds trading off our resources to benefit other parts of Canada. I’ve also seen what Harper has already done to NL. I’m willing to bet the deal will sacrificethe east coast yet again to benefit central & western Canada.
Anonymous

It certainly sounds like a good idea when just the brod strokes are presented. But the devil is in the details: what are we giving up for this deal? Whose resources or rights are they trading away?

Wil this agreement prevent things like the illogical and hypocritical banning of seal products? Will it finally give us some teeth in enforcing fishing quotas off our coast – or will it further weaken the enforceability of quotas that EU member nations already break with near impunity?

“…public release right now would harm Ottawa’s negotiating position.” [G&M] Harmed how? By the public backlash when Canadians see what’s been given away?

Negotiations behind closed doors make me nervous. As an expat NLer, I’ve seen NL get screwed over far too many times by Feds trading off our resources to benefit other parts of Canada. I’ve also seen what Harper has already done to NL. I’m willing to bet the deal will sacrificethe east coast yet again to benefit central & western Canada.
Anonymous

It certainly sounds like a good idea when just the brod strokes are presented. But the devil is in the details: what are we giving up for this deal? Whose resources or rights are they trading away?

Wil this agreement prevent things like the illogical and hypocritical banning of seal products? Will it finally give us some teeth in enforcing fishing quotas off our coast – or will it further weaken the enforceability of quotas that EU member nations already break with near impunity?

“…public release right now would harm Ottawa’s negotiating position.” [G&M] Harmed how? By the public backlash when Canadians see what’s been given away?

Negotiations behind closed doors make me nervous. As an expat NLer, I’ve seen NL get screwed over far too many times by Feds trading off our resources to benefit other parts of Canada. I’ve also seen what Harper has already done to NL. I’m willing to bet the deal will sacrificethe east coast yet again to benefit central & western Canada.
Anonymous

Good. I hope it will be followed by free trade with China and India….and fast.

Anonymous

Emily, I wondered when you would speak up and give this deal a thumbs up.

Anonymous

LOL I’ve been promoting it for years, long before Jean Charest ever thought of it.

Anonymous

Why do you think it is that other business-minded Canadians like Thwim don’t support it?

Anonymous

I have no idea, you’ll have to ask Thwim.

Bear in mind a lot of people opposed the FTA with the US, yet it saved our bacon
J Villain

Really because the Americans are currently unilaterally renegotiating it and the PM seems to be willing to give them any thing they want and isn’t asking for any thing in return except the same access we had before. In exchange Canadians will be required to surrender all of their personal and financial information to the US government.

Then you have stupid games like Lotus saying that the Elise can not possibly be modefied to meet Canadian safety standards which means we can’t import them used from the US. This keeps the price of a used Elise around triple the American price. That allows them to keep the new price super inflated in Canada. But Lotus modefies American Elises and sells them in Canada. NAFTA was supposed to be both for businesses and consumers. Not just businesses.

Great deal.
Anonymous

@google-e7b78bb5931234cde2ba9dd833ddca76:disqus

Source please.