The Wall Street Journal reports Prime Minister Stephen Harper has confirmed Canada will join the U.S. and several Asian nations in the group negotiating a trans-Pacific trade pact.
The invitation to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership follows months of wrangling between Canadian and U.S. officials over the terms of entry into the group for Canada.
Harper played coy yesterday when asked if his government would be asked to pull up a chair, but said, “We’re delighted that Americans and others have indicated an interest in seeing Canada join the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” he says.
The deal allowing our country to join negotiations potentially has more economic strength than the North American Free Trade Agreement, according to G20 attendees.
Mexico had already been included, with some analysts interpreting the inclusion of only Mexico at the time as a rebuke. Before Canada was invited, trade lawyer Lawrence Herman said, in an email, “Apparently Canada doesn’t make the grade. At least not for now.”
He added, “If this is true, it’s a slap in the face for the Harper government and a real setback for its trade policy agenda.”
Herman guessed Canada hadn’t put enough bargaining chips on the table, but this turned out not to be an issue.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership is one of many items up for discussion at the luxury resort area on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.