deal

Friday May 4, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday May 4, 2018

U.S. pushes for NAFTA deal in week or two or ‘you start having a problem’

January 12, 2018

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said he wants to reach a deal in coming weeks to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement, adding a sense of urgency to trilateral negotiations that have run for over eight months.

Lighthizer is scheduled to meet with his Mexican and Canadian counterparts on Monday after he returns from a trip to China. The three have been holding regular talks since August, and last week gathered in Washington for several days of negotiations. While Canada’s government highlighted a series of major sticking points that still remain in a call with stakeholders Tuesday, Lighthizer struck an upbeat tone.

March 7, 2018

“We’re going to meet again on Monday, and we’ll see if we can get a good agreement,” Lighthizer said during a conference in Washington on Tuesday. “I’d like to get it done a week or two after that. If not, then you start having a problem.”

That’s because by law it could take the House and Senate months to ratify any changes to NAFTA. The U.S. holds congressional elections in November and a new Congress starts up in January. Waiting until then “changes the whole way you have to kind of construct the deal,” he said.

Lighthizer said he’s aiming for an agreement that will have broad support in the current Congress, with at least 65 per cent of the Senate and House approving the deal. “It’s my ambition that this not be a Republican vote,” he said. “It’s got to be a bipartisan vote. We want to have a big vote.” (Source: Financial Post) 

 

Thursday October 20, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Thursday October 20, 2016 Trade minister Freeland meets with Wallonia leader in effort to save CETA deal Federal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland met Wednesday with the head of Wallonia in an effort to save a trade deal with the European Union that could collapse if the small Belgium region does not support it by Friday. A spokeswoman for Freeland says she met with Wallonia President Paul Magnette, who earlier Wednesday said his region could not sign on to the deal by Friday, which has been set as a deadline to get the last of the 28 EU nations on board. Anne-Louise Chauvette says the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, also known as CETA, is a priority for the federal government and it is working hard with its European partners so that it can be approved and implemented next year. The Wallonia vote has created headaches for Belgium's national government because its constitution gives its three regional governments Ñ Wallonia being one of them Ñ a potential veto over CETA, which has been seven years in the making. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is scheduled to fly to Brussels next week to sign the agreement should it be unanimously approved by the EU. (Source: CBC) http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ceta-wallonia-save-trade-deal-1.3812570 Canada, Belgium, Wallonia, Walloon, EU, trade, deal, CETA, Justin Trudeau, Chrystia Freeland,Êmanneken pis

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday October 20, 2016

Trade minister Freeland meets with Wallonia leader in effort to save CETA deal

Federal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland met Wednesday with the head of Wallonia in an effort to save a trade deal with the European Union that could collapse if the small Belgium region does not support it by Friday.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Friday September 2, 2016 Trudeau and Chinese premier explore possibleÊfree trade deal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has brought Canada closer to China after agreeing with the Chinese premier to deepen theÊcountriesÕ relationships Ñ and explore a possible free trade deal. After meeting with Trudeau, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told reporters through a translator that Canada and China will launch aÊfeasibility study on an eventual free-trade deal. A senior Canadian official later said the two countries have ongoing technical discussions on free trade, but stressed that thereÊare no negotiations under way at this point. ÒThis year marks 45 years of diplomatic relations between Canada and China,Ó Trudeau said as he stood beside Li in BeijingÕsÊGreat Hall of the People, which overlooks Tiananmen Square. ÒMy father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, played an important role in establishing a partnership between our two countries when heÊwas prime minister. So, IÕm very happy to be extending that effort now.Ó The countries also agreed to hold annual meetings between the Chinese premier and the Canadian prime minister on a range ofÊissues, including national security and the rule of law. (Source: Toronto Star) https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/08/31/trudeau-and-chinese-premier-explore-possible-free-trade-deal.html Canada, China, globalization, free, trade, employment, economics, diplomacy, propaganda

September 2, 2016

A spokeswoman for Freeland says she met with Wallonia President Paul Magnette, who earlier Wednesday said his region could not sign on to the deal by Friday, which has been set as a deadline to get the last of the 28 EU nations on board.

Anne-Louise Chauvette says the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, also known as CETA, is a priority for the federal government and it is working hard with its European partners so that it can be approved and implemented next year.

Monday, October 21, 2013

October 21, 2013

The Wallonia vote has created headaches for Belgium’s national government because its constitution gives its three regional governments — Wallonia being one of them — a potential veto over CETA, which has been seven years in the making.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is scheduled to fly to Brussels next week to sign the agreement should it be unanimously approved by the EU. (Source: CBC)

 

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Thursday, April 14, 2016 Scrap the Saudi arms deal, says Clement Foreign Affairs Minister StŽphane Dion says he is prepared to cancel the export permits for a controversial arms sale to Saudi Arabia if there is any evidence the armored vehicles made in Canada are used in human rights violations. ÒAs with all export permits, the minister of foreign affairs retains the power to revoke at any time the permit should the assessment change,Ó said Dion, pointing out that there is no indication that Canadian-made armored vehicles sold to Saudi Arabia in the past have been used to violate human rights. ÒShould I become aware of credible information of violations related to this equipment, I will suspend or revoke the permits. We are watching this closely and will continue to do so.Ó Speaking to reporters on his way into Question Period where the government came under fire for the deal, Dion defended the $15 billion sale, saying CanadaÕs credibility would be harmed if it didnÕt honor the contract negotiated in 2014. DionÕs comments come following the revelation by the Globe and Mail that while the Conservative government initially endorsed the deal to sell $15 billion worth of armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia Ð one of the biggest arms sales in Canadian history Ð it was Dion who signed the expert permits on Friday, a crucial step in the sale that many had thought had already taken place. When they came to power, TrudeauÕs Liberals indicated the sale was a done deal and their hands were tied. Without the export permits, however, the sale would have been stalled. Global Affairs Department documents stamped secret and released by the Justice Department this week in response to a court challenge to the sale, indica

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday, April 14, 2016

Scrap the Saudi arms deal, says Clement

Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion says he is prepared to cancel the export permits for a controversial arms sale to Saudi Arabia if there is any evidence the armored vehicles made in Canada are used in human rights violations.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Thursday March 31, 2016 Cancelling Saudi arms deal would have no effect on human rights: Dion Foreign Affairs Minister StŽphane Dion is defending a controversial $15-billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia by saying cancelling it would be a futile gesture because another country would simply supply the combat vehicles to Riyadh instead. ÒIt would not have an effect on human rights in Saudi Arabia,Ó Mr. Dion predicted, if the Liberals were to scrap a 14-year lucrative contract to build fighting machines that will be equipped with machine guns or anti-tank weapons. International censure of Saudi Arabia is on the increase as rights groups decry an erosion of human rights under the current leadership there. Only two weeks ago, the Dutch parliament voted to stop arms shipments to Saudi Arabia, and in February, the European Parliament passed a motion calling for the suspension of weapons sales to Riyadh. Mr. Dion used a Monday speech on the LiberalsÕ foreign policy to mount a hard-nosed defence of what is CanadaÕs largest-ever manufacturing contract Ð a transaction that was brokered by Ottawa under the former Conservative government and will benefit defence contractor General DynamicsÕ London, Ont., plant until 2028. ÒRiyadh does not care if the equipment comes from a factory in Lima, Ohio or Sterling Heights, Mich., rather than one in London, Ont.,Ó Mr. Dion said, naming American cities where military suppliers such as General Dynamics have a presence. More than 2,000 workers in Canada would lose their jobs if the government cancelled the deal, the minister predicted. Louise Arbour, a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights who once sat on the Supreme Court of Canada, was in the audience for Mr. DionÕs speech, and she said the contention that some other country would just take over the contract is Òthe weakest argumentÓ that could be made. ÒThis argument that if we donÕt do it somebody els

March 31, 2016

“As with all export permits, the minister of foreign affairs retains the power to revoke at any time the permit should the assessment change,” said Dion, pointing out that there is no indication that Canadian-made armored vehicles sold to Saudi Arabia in the past have been used to violate human rights.

“Should I become aware of credible information of violations related to this equipment, I will suspend or revoke the permits. We are watching this closely and will continue to do so.”

Speaking to reporters on his way into Question Period where the government came under fire for the deal, Dion defended the $15 billion sale, saying Canada’s credibility would be harmed if it didn’t honor the contract negotiated in 2014.

Dion’s comments come following the revelation by the Globe and Mail that while the Conservative government initially endorsed the deal to sell $15 billion worth of armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia – one of the biggest arms sales in Canadian history – it was Dion who signed the expert permits on Friday, a crucial step in the sale that many had thought had already taken place.

May 24, 2011

When they came to power, Trudeau’s Liberals indicated the sale was a done deal and their hands were tied. Without the export permits, however, the sale would have been stalled.

Global Affairs Department documents stamped secret and released by the Justice Department this week in response to a court challenge to the sale, indicate the department recommended the deal because it could help Saudi Arabia in its conflict with neighboring Yemen.

January 8, 2004

However, Conservative Foreign Affairs Critic Tony Clement said there was no understanding the vehicles could be used in Yemen when the Conservative government first endorsed the contract. He is concerned that changes in the region since then mean that the armored vehicles could be used against civilians.

“The hinge on the deal in the first place was it was not going to be used to facilitate human rights abuses, it was going to be used in the fight against terrorism. If that is no longer the case then I have no hesitation in saying the deal should be torn up.”

Clement was also sharply critical of Dion, saying he secretly signed the export permits necessary for the massive arms sale. (Source: ipolitics)

 

Thursday March 31, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Thursday March 31, 2016 Cancelling Saudi arms deal would have no effect on human rights: Dion Foreign Affairs Minister StŽphane Dion is defending a controversial $15-billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia by saying cancelling it would be a futile gesture because another country would simply supply the combat vehicles to Riyadh instead. ÒIt would not have an effect on human rights in Saudi Arabia,Ó Mr. Dion predicted, if the Liberals were to scrap a 14-year lucrative contract to build fighting machines that will be equipped with machine guns or anti-tank weapons. International censure of Saudi Arabia is on the increase as rights groups decry an erosion of human rights under the current leadership there. Only two weeks ago, the Dutch parliament voted to stop arms shipments to Saudi Arabia, and in February, the European Parliament passed a motion calling for the suspension of weapons sales to Riyadh. Mr. Dion used a Monday speech on the LiberalsÕ foreign policy to mount a hard-nosed defence of what is CanadaÕs largest-ever manufacturing contract Ð a transaction that was brokered by Ottawa under the former Conservative government and will benefit defence contractor General DynamicsÕ London, Ont., plant until 2028. ÒRiyadh does not care if the equipment comes from a factory in Lima, Ohio or Sterling Heights, Mich., rather than one in London, Ont.,Ó Mr. Dion said, naming American cities where military suppliers such as General Dynamics have a presence. More than 2,000 workers in Canada would lose their jobs if the government cancelled the deal, the minister predicted. Louise Arbour, a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights who once sat on the Supreme Court of Canada, was in the audience for Mr. DionÕs speech, and she said the contention that some other country would just take over the contract is Òthe weakest argumentÓ that could be made. ÒThis argument that if we donÕt do it somebody els

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday March 31, 2016

Cancelling Saudi arms deal would have no effect on human rights: Dion

Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion is defending a controversial $15-billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia by saying cancelling it would be a futile gesture because another country would simply supply the combat vehicles to Riyadh instead.

“It would not have an effect on human rights in Saudi Arabia,” Mr. Dion predicted, if the Liberals were to scrap a 14-year lucrative contract to build fighting machines that will be equipped with machine guns or anti-tank weapons.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Wednesday January 6, 2016 Canada stands by $15B Saudi arms deal after executions A $15-billion contract signed under the previous government to supply Saudi Arabia with light-armoured military vehicles won't be revisited after the execution of dozens of prisoners in that country, the foreign minister says. Sheik Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric, was one of 47 prisoners recently executed by Saudi Arabia. "We have said during the campaign Ñ the prime minister has been very clear Ñ that we will not cancel this contract or contracts that have been done under the previous government in general," StŽphane Dion said Tuesday in an interview with Rosemary Barton on CBC's Power and Politics. "We'll review the process by which these contracts are assessed in the future. But what is done is done and the contract is not something that we'll revisit," Dion said. Since the Shia cleric's execution, a diplomatic row between Iran and Saudi Arabia has escalated. Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran and Iran's top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, predicted "divine vengeance" for the execution. Dion condemned the executions and the subsequent violence in Tehran directed at the Saudi embassy. He said Canada could play a more robust role in easing tensions between the two powers if it had a diplomatic relationship with Iran, despite its questionable record. "The fact that Canada is not in Tehran is helping nobody. It's not helping the population of Iran, it's not helping Saudi Arabia, it's not helping Israel Ñ so we need to engage Iran in trying to be positive in the region," the foreign minister said. (Source: CBC News) http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/stephane-dion-saudi-arms-deal-1.3390854 Canada, Iran, Saudi, Arabia, Sunni, Shia, Justin Trudeau, Sunny, ways, diplomacy

International censure of Saudi Arabia is on the increase as rights groups decry an erosion of human rights under the current leadership there. Only two weeks ago, the Dutch parliament voted to stop arms shipments to Saudi Arabia, and in February, the European Parliament passed a motion calling for the suspension of weapons sales to Riyadh.

Mr. Dion used a Monday speech on the Liberals’ foreign policy to mount a hard-nosed defence of what is Canada’s largest-ever manufacturing contract – a transaction that was brokered by Ottawa under the former Conservative government and will benefit defence contractor General Dynamics’ London, Ont., plant until 2028.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Tuesday January 19, 2016 TrudeauÕs silence on terrorism is deafening ItÕs early still in the life of this government. Yet with Prime Minister Justin TrudeauÕs Grits closing in on 100 days since their Oct. 19 electoral triumph, a pattern begins to emerge. ItÕs one that does the new regime and its leader little credit. It smacks of an inability or unwillingness to perceive sentiment beyond the urban Liberal echo chamber. It bespeaks a lack of imagination Ñ including an inability to imagine threats to the governmentÕs capacity to endure and succeed long-term. Tunnel vision and obduracy are not supposed to set in quite so soon. LetÕs begin with this: TrudeauÕs Achilles heel. Every politician seems to have one. For this PM, for the longest time, it was his tendency to blurt silly things about serious geopolitical issues at inopportune times. There was his tone-deaf statement in an interview with the CBC that the Boston Marathon bombers must have felt excluded; his offhand praise of ChinaÕs system of government; his curious joke about the Russians invading Ukraine over hockey. Most memorably, there was the juvenile quip about former prime minister Stephen Harper whipping out CanadaÕs CF-18s to Òshow them how big they are.Ó That series of gaffes, combined with TrudeauÕs decision in the fall of 2014 to vote against Canadian participation in the U.S.-led air war against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, was a factor in the collapse in public support that led to the Liberals entering last yearÕs election campaign an underdog. That they recovered and won resoundingly is a testament to TrudeauÕs political skills and the quality of the campaign he ran. None of that mitigates that his perceived instincts and judgment about foreign policy Ñ especially as concerns the war against Islamist, jihadist terrorism Ñ are his greatest weakness. Tonally this manifests as an inability, or unwillingness, to emit more th

“Riyadh does not care if the equipment comes from a factory in Lima, Ohio or Sterling Heights, Mich., rather than one in London, Ont.,” Mr. Dion said, naming American cities where military suppliers such as General Dynamics have a presence.

More than 2,000 workers in Canada would lose their jobs if the government cancelled the deal, the minister predicted.

Friday, September 5, 2014Louise Arbour, a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights who once sat on the Supreme Court of Canada, was in the audience for Mr. Dion’s speech, and she said the contention that some other country would just take over the contract is “the weakest argument” that could be made.

“This argument that if we don’t do it somebody else will do it I find, frankly, the least convincing,” she said. “It is not infused with moral, ethical values.”

She said there are better reasons to justify sticking with the Saudi deal and would like to see Mr. Dion “do a balancing of consequences,” such as reputational, financial, jobs and the impact of doing nothing at all, including “Canada being seen as validating a regime that is at odds with a lot of Canadian values.”

Ms. Arbour said she hopes the federal government applies more rigour to examining weapons export permits, as it has repeatedly promised. (Source: Globe & Mail)

 

Posted alongside a related article on iPolitics.

Wednesday July 15, 2015

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Wednesday July 15, 2015 Iran after a nuclear deal: Where will Canada stand? Iran and the P5+1 Ð China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, or the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany Ð finally reached a deal on Tuesday resolving the long-standing dispute over IranÕs nuclear ambitions. This raises questions for Canada, which has displayed a particularly aggressive stance toward Iran in recent years. The Harper governmentÕs hostility toward Tehran has been based on the premise, frequently expressed by the Prime Minister and senior ministers, that Iran poses the greatest threat to international peace and security. The government has nuanced this assessment recently, labelling Iran a ÒsignificantÓ threat to international security, presumably reflecting growing concern about the Islamic State and Russia. Nevertheless, it remains that Canada has differentiated itself from its allies under the Conservatives, adopting a harder line against Iran. Concretely, this has meant that to protest against IranÕs nuclear program, human rights record, and confrontational regional policies, Canada has implemented all UN sanctions against Iran and has vocally adopted additional unilateral measures. In multilateral settings, Canadian diplomats repeatedly and assertively lambaste Iran. Ottawa also severed diplomatic relations in 2012. As nuclear talks progressed over the past two years, Canada remained deeply skeptical of Iranian intentions and insisted that only tangible actions would prove IranÕs commitment to restraining its nuclear program. Canada also systematically emphasized that human rights had not improved under President Hassan Rouhani and that IranÕs support for terrorism across the Middle East continues unabated. This aggressive policy towards Iran has been based on a flawed premise, has had a marginal impact, and has resulted in few measurable benefits. (Contin

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday July 15, 2015

Iran after a nuclear deal: Where will Canada stand?

Iran and the P5+1 – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, or the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany – finally reached a deal on Tuesday resolving the long-standing dispute over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. This raises questions for Canada, which has displayed a particularly aggressive stance toward Iran in recent years.

The Harper government’s hostility toward Tehran has been based on the premise, frequently expressed by the Prime Minister and senior ministers, that Iran poses the greatest threat to international peace and security. The government has nuanced this assessment recently, labelling Iran a “significant” threat to international security, presumably reflecting growing concern about the Islamic State and Russia. Nevertheless, it remains that Canada has differentiated itself from its allies under the Conservatives, adopting a harder line against Iran.

Concretely, this has meant that to protest against Iran’s nuclear program, human rights record, and confrontational regional policies, Canada has implemented all UN sanctions against Iran and has vocally adopted additional unilateral measures. In multilateral settings, Canadian diplomats repeatedly and assertively lambaste Iran. Ottawa also severed diplomatic relations in 2012.

As nuclear talks progressed over the past two years, Canada remained deeply skeptical of Iranian intentions and insisted that only tangible actions would prove Iran’s commitment to restraining its nuclear program. Canada also systematically emphasized that human rights had not improved under President Hassan Rouhani and that Iran’s support for terrorism across the Middle East continues unabated.

This aggressive policy towards Iran has been based on a flawed premise, has had a marginal impact, and has resulted in few measurable benefits. (Continued: Globe & Mail)