Deal with Japan better than Trans-Pacific Partnership?

by BETTER FARMING STAFF

Farm groups interested in submitting comments about what Canada should bring to the table for Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations should also consider preparing submissions for Canada’s trade agreement talks with Japan “and tell them why it would be better,” says an international trade specialist.

Peter Clark, president of Grey, Clark, Shih and Associates in Ottawa, calls the federal government’s recent call for feedback on the Trans-Pacific negotiations “due diligence.” The federal department of foreign affairs and international trade posted a notice in the Canada Gazette, the federal government’s official newspaper, last week. It seeks “advice and views on any priorities, objectives and concerns relating to possible free trade negotiations with TPP countries” and encourages comment on subjects ranging from market access liberalization for TPP countries’ products to barriers when selling to governments of TPP countries and competition policy.

Clark notes that even though Canada and Japan are nearly ready to launch free trade negotiations, no call for public comment has been issued. He says doing a deal with Japan on its own would be better than trying to negotiate one with potentially up to 12 countries. Many already have trade agreements with Canada while others have populations smaller than Toronto or markets distant to Canada. The Trans-Pacific proposal is much bigger than most trade agreements in terms of the number of issues it addresses, he says. A flood of demands and pre-conditions from the United States could swamp talks and “might scare the Japanese off,” he adds.

Currently there are nine countries participating in negotiations: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam and the United States. Canada announced its interest in the partnership in November. Japan and Mexico also signaled an interest in joining.

Groups such as the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association support the talks. Concerns, however, have been raised that negotiations might jeopardize Canada’s supply-managed commodities such as milk, eggs and poultry.

Dairy Farmers of Canada sought to allay those fears in a November news release in which Wally Smith, the organization’s president, was quoted: “Supply management has not stood in the way of Canada’s ability to successfully negotiate trade agreements in the past and it is unlikely to do so in the future.”  In a Nov. 17, 2011 letter to the editor in the National Post, Gerry Ritz, federal minister of agriculture and Ed Fast, minister of international trade affirmed their government’s intentions to continue “to defend Canada’s system of supply management.”

Those interested in submissions have until Feb. 14. Contributions can be emailed to consultations@international.gc.ca, by fax to 613-944-3489 or by mail to Trade Negotiations Consultations (TPP), Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, Trade Policy and Negotiations Division II (TPW), Lester B. Pearson Building, 125 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0G2. BF