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O RELATIVELY LITTLE FANFARE, THE CANADIAN
government brought two of three major international
free-trade agreements very near completion this past
fall. After years of negotiation, the Canada–EU Comprehensive
Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) now faces the approval of
its constituent states, the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement
(CKFTA) has been ratified and the Trans-Pacific Partnership
(TPP) remains in negotiations, though its eventual completion
and final approval look promising.
“We’ve embarked upon the most ambitious trade agenda
Canada has ever had, and it is going to serve us very, very
well for many, many decades to come,” Canadian Minister of
International Trade Ed Fast told
GrainsWest
last fall.
Fast pointed out that being ahead of the U.S. in signing an
agreement with the EU is significant.
“When CETA comes into force, Canada will be the only major
developed economy in the world to have trade agreements with
the two largest markets in the world: the U.S. and the EU,” he said.
Winter
2015
Grains
West
38
BY IAN DOIG • PMO PHOTO: DEB RANSOM
Feature
T
HowCanada’s new free-trade agreements will benefit Alberta farmers
GROWINGGLOBAL