[CTC] USW Decries U.S. Pronouncement of Colombia's Compliance with Labor Action Plan

[Hubbard, Gary]

http://www.theprovince.com/business/sacrifice+marketing+boards+Pacific+trade+talks/6449485/story.html

PM won't sacrifice marketing boards to get to Pacific trade talks
By Mark Kennedy, Postmedia NewsApril 12, 2012

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper's spokesman says Canada  
"supports" the supply-management system that protects dairy and  
poultry farmers and will not "negotiate" on that issue as a  
precondition to join talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Andrew MacDougall, the director of communications in the Prime  
Minister's Office, made the comment to reporters during a briefing on  
Thursday.
"We go to the negotiating table and that's where we do our work," said  
MacDougall. "We don't say that we will give away things before we go  
there. That makes no sense."
Harper leaves Friday for a trip to South America, where he will attend  
the weekend Summit of the Americas in Colombia.
On Monday, Harper will travel to Chile, where it's expected he will  
make a pitch for Canada's request to join negotiations in the TPP — a  
proposed free-trade zone that promises to be one of the world's most  
important trade agreements.
The TPP is currently a nine-member Asia-Pacific free-trade proposal  
being negotiated among the United States, Australia, Brunei, Chile,  
Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
Canada, Japan and Mexico all have signaled they want in on the talks.
But Canada's entry into the TPP is being blocked by some countries,  
and it's believed the U.S. and New Zealand have had the most serious  
concerns.
The opponents say Canada should not join the negotiations until it  
first, as a precondition, promises to abandon the long-standing supply  
management system that protects fewer than 20,000 dairy and poultry  
farmers.
The system protects farmers behind tariffs, assigns them production  
quotas and forces Canadians to pay higher prices for products such as  
milk, cheese, chicken and eggs.
"The Canadian government supports supply management," said MacDougall.
Moreover, he said Harper has been publicly adamant that Canada will  
not bow to demands to abandon supply management simply in return for  
getting a seat at the TPP negotiating table.
"The prime minister has been clear that Canada does not negotiate away  
things to get to the table. The whole point of a negotiation is to be  
at the table, to have negotiations."
MacDougall said the prime minister and International Trade Minister Ed  
Fast intend to "defend Canada's interest" in the many free trade  
discussions already underway throughout the world, and in the proposed  
TPP deal.
"In every one of those trade negotiations, we seek to find the best  
deal for Canada that protects Canada's interests. And that would be no  
different with the Trans-Pacific Partnership. We're just not going to  
take things off the table just to get to the table."
However, MacDougall declined to answer a question about whether Canada  
will be prepared to negotiate away its supply management system if it  
ever does get admitted to the trade talks.
"I'm not going to comment on hypothetical negotiations. Let's get to  
the table first. That's the goal of the government — to be there. It's  
an important trade group, an important region where there's lots of  
economic growth. That's why we want to be there."
Last week, Harper attended a meeting at the White House with U.S.  
President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Among  
the topics they discussed was the TPP.
While he secured a public endorsement from Obama for Canada's  
aspirations to join TPP negotiations, there is still no guarantee the  
U.S. and others won't demand stiff concessions from Harper.
Harper said Canada will defend the country's interests "not just  
across the economy, but in individual sectors, as well."
For his part, Obama said he's "pleased" Canada wants to join the TPP,  
adding that "consultations" are now underway among the nine nations  
currently involved in negotiations "on how new members can meet the  
high standards of this trade agreement."
"Every country that's participating is going to have to make some  
modifications," said Obama.
"That's inherent in the process, because each of our countries have  
their own idiosyncrasies, certain industries that have in the past  
been protected, certain practices that may be unique to that country,  
but end up creating disadvantages for businesses from other countries."


Read more: http://www.canada.com/business/sacrifice+marketing+boards+Pacific+trade+talks/6449485/story.html#ixzz1rvmt2Pii
Arthur Stamoulis
Citizens Trade Campaign
(202) 494-8826




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