Canada is Lagging in Trade Talks, and Exporters Will Pay the Price

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By John Weekes, The Globe and Mail Apr 21, 2015

John Weekes, a senior business advisor at Bennett Jones LLP, was Canada’s ambassador to the WTO and chief negotiator for the North American free-trade agreement (NAFTA)

This week’s visit to Canada by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a good moment to take stock of how well the federal government’s trade agenda is serving the interests of Canadians.

In March, Trade Minister Ed Fast marked the conclusion of the ninth round of negotiations toward a Canada-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), reaffirming that “Canada remains committed to concluding an ambitious agreement with India”. Curiously, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s March 25 press release announcing Mr. Modi’s visit makes no mention of the fact the two countries are negotiating a trade agreement. Earlier this week, The Globe’s Barrie McKenna described the talks as a “mostly aspirational goal.”

Canada, like many countries, is pushing ambitiously for new trade agreements with key foreign markets. In 2014, Canada concluded an agreement with the EU and implemented its FTA with South Korea, Canada’s first agreement with an Asian country, as well as putting into effect an investment protection agreement with China. But, despite these positive efforts, there is enough evidence to suggest that Canada is falling behind some of our major competitors in the rough and tumble world of competitive trade liberalization.

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