Little progress on dairy, autos in Atlanta TPP trade talks

“What I can say is that Canada is prepared to negotiate, to stay here until we have a deal”, the global trade minister said Wednesday. There are twelve countries involved in TPP negotiations in total. This country’s “supply management system” includes steep tariff walls to keep out a huge influx of foreign milk and production quotas that set farm output and prices. A few Saskatchewan farmers like Melvin Foth are nervous.

“The [fast track authority] has a lot to answer for in all of this, because a lot of the Congressmen said “sure, you’ll get our vote, as long as you do X, Y and Z”, which usually meant not opening up as much as the administration would want to”, Mr Robb said. Globalization in trade might be a sometimes painful reality, but we can not hide from it. Richard Trumka, the head of the AFL-CIO, said Thursday morning labor would “fiercely oppose” a bad deal.

From Washington, D.C.to Tokyo, political leaders and interest groups representing almost every aspect of economic life are eager to learn who is going to be affected the most as a result of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a potential 12-country pact being spearheaded by the United States.

People in the auto sector are concerned about Japan’s demands for greater access to the Canadian market.

Representatives of the 12 countries – Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam – were huddled in intense negotiations in Atlanta, hoping to reach a final deal two months after failing to do so in top-level talks in Hawaii. It is clear that the TPP can be concluded quickly, with or without Canada’s participation.

The TPP situation is an unusual one – the country is in the midst of an election campaign, but negotiators have had to plow ahead, lest the TPP train leave the station without Canada aboard.

A deal is no foregone conclusion – negotiators have already missed several deadlines – but expectations are high that this week’s meetings in Georgia will resolve all outstanding issues and Minister Fast will return home with an agreement in hand.

The federal government has indicated that it remains committed to preserving the supply management system in Canada. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., running for the Democratic nomination, have criticized United States trade policies, saying American workers are being put at a disadvantage.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s position is quite similar to Harper’s, although he says there should have been more openness around the deal.

“Access to global markets is particularly important (in) Saskatchewan, which is one of the most export-dependent jurisdictions in the nation”, wrote Wall in the statement.

The TPP is a once in a generation opportunity to strengthen our trade and investment ties in the dynamic and fast-growing Asia-Pacific region, creating jobs and prosperity for all Canadians.

Japan has been pushing to allow for the tariff-free movement of vehicles and auto parts that contain as little as 30 per cent content produced in the countries that are part of the trade agreement. “That would be a key variable I think in determining how smoothly the TPP moves toward ratification in Congress”, he added.