trans Pacific

Tuesday November 14, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday November 14, 2017

Trans-Pacific Trade Partners Are Moving On, Without the U.S.

President Trump shook up the world economic order this year by pulling the United States out of a major international trade pact and raising fundamental questions about its global role.

October 11, 2017

Today, the world is moving on without it.

A group of 11 countries announced on Saturday that they had committed to resurrecting a sweeping multinational trade agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, without the United States. A new deal, which would have to be signed and ratified by each country, would include major United States allies like Japan, Canada and Mexico. Collectively, they account for about a sixth of global trade.

The agreement will “serve as a foundation for building a broader free-trade area” across Asia, Taro Kono, Japan’s foreign minister, said in a statement.

May 24, 2017

Pointedly, the potential members of what is now called the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership came to an early agreement on the broad outline of a deal while many of their leaders were meeting with Mr. Trump in Vietnam — itself a potential member of the new trading group.

Some details of a new deal, including when rules would be phased in, still need to be determined, and prospective member states like Canada raised last-minute concerns. But a new deal could be announced as soon as early next year. 

Other countries are slowly but surely making progress on their own sweeping trade deals, without any participation from the United States. China is negotiating a potential deal with 16 Asia-Pacific countries, including Japan, India and South Korea. The European Union and Japan hope to strike separate trade pacts with a group of South American countries, Brazil and Argentina among them.

From tough talk on China (“they took our jobs”) to casting doubt on the decades-old North American Free Trade Agreement (“the worst trade deal ever made”), Mr. Trump has threatened to lob a grenade at an increasingly integrated global economic system. (Continued: New York Times) 

 

Wednesday October 7, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Wednesday October 7, 2015 'Trade wins hands down': Why leaders may seize TPP as a wedge issue With the announcement of a tentative deal on the Trans Pacific Partnership landing at the tail end of a marathon federal election campaign, voters can expect the party leaders to use it as a wedge issue, says one polling expert. Canada is one of 12 nations that came to a tentative agreement Monday, following five days of round-the-clock negotiations. The TPP trade agreement would encompass about 40 per cent of the world's economy, and eliminate barriers for certain Canadian exports. While the agreement will still need to be ratified by national governments, all of the main party leaders have already staked their positions on the agreement. Conservative Leader Stephen Harper has hailed the deal as a way of opening up new markets for Canada and creating new jobs. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has reserved judgment until more details are revealed, but has said his party is "pro-trade." Meanwhile, NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair has stated that his party won't be bound by the sweeping trade agreement, which he accused the Tories of negotiating in "secret." Shachi Kurl, senior vice-president of the Angus Reid Institute, said the tentative agreement will be seen as a major win for the Conservatives among their base. "This is a winner with Conservative supporters," she told CTV's Canada AM from Vancouver, noting that Canadians are generally supportive of trade. "When you stack it up against other foreign policy imperatives that Canada should be pursuing, looking at foreign aid or humanitarian efforts or beefing up our military or trade Ð trade wins hands down with Canadians," she said. Mulcair is also looking to win support with his stance on the deal, Kurl said, noting that the NDP leader appears to be using the agreement to differentiate himself from the other leaders. (Source: CTV News) http://www.ctvnews.ca/po

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday October 7, 2015

‘Trade wins hands down’: Why leaders may seize TPP as a wedge issue

With the announcement of a tentative deal on the Trans Pacific Partnership landing at the tail end of a marathon federal election campaign, voters can expect the party leaders to use it as a wedge issue, says one polling expert.

Canada is one of 12 nations that came to a tentative agreement Monday, following five days of round-the-clock negotiations. The TPP trade agreement would encompass about 40 per cent of the world’s economy, and eliminate barriers for certain Canadian exports.

While the agreement will still need to be ratified by national governments, all of the main party leaders have already staked their positions on the agreement.

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper has hailed the deal as a way of opening up new markets for Canada and creating new jobs. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has reserved judgment until more details are revealed, but has said his party is “pro-trade.” Meanwhile, NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair has stated that his party won’t be bound by the sweeping trade agreement, which he accused the Tories of negotiating in “secret.”

Shachi Kurl, senior vice-president of the Angus Reid Institute, said the tentative agreement will be seen as a major win for the Conservatives among their base.

“This is a winner with Conservative supporters,” she told CTV’s Canada AM from Vancouver, noting that Canadians are generally supportive of trade.

“When you stack it up against other foreign policy imperatives that Canada should be pursuing, looking at foreign aid or humanitarian efforts or beefing up our military or trade – trade wins hands down with Canadians,” she said.

Mulcair is also looking to win support with his stance on the deal, Kurl said, noting that the NDP leader appears to be using the agreement to differentiate himself from the other leaders. (Source: CTV News)