On March 15, 2017, the Trade Ministers and representatives from the 11 remaining Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries met in Vina del Mar, Chile to discuss the future of the TPP. They then continued with a “High Level Dialogue on Integration Initiatives in the Asia-Pacific Region,” bringing in representatives from China, Colombia, Korea and the United States.
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) is pleased that this group held these discussions and that Ministers came with open minds about the possibilities for moving forward on trade liberalization. With that mindset, the dialogue produced the constructive outcome that Ministers confirmed their desire to liberalize trade in the Pacific region and that negotiators will meet to find a path forward with respect to implementation of substantive elements of the TPP Agreement.
The CCA applauds this pivotal progress as a strong signal that the substance of the TPP in some form remains very much in play and we congratulate Canada’s International Trade Minister François-Philippe Champagne for leading the discussion in Chile towards this outcome. The CCA will continue to work with the Government of Canada and allies abroad to support their efforts to bring the TPP substance into effect.
As this process moves forward, it is important that international trade agreements benefit all people, including small business owners. More than 65,000 beef producers in Canada are small business owners, trying to make a living for their families by raising cattle. As they do so, they provide vital environmental benefits by maintaining sustainable working agricultural landscapes and raise food for people around the world.
International trade is the lifeblood for Canadian beef producers since the value of each animal can only be maximized when every part of the animal is sold to the market that most values it. The terms agreed under the TPP will enable Canadian beef and beef products to gain access to more markets. Bringing the market access terms of the TPP into effect will mean more money in the pockets of farmers.
Source: CCA