Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Irish counterpart reaffirmed their commitment to the Canada-EU trade pact known as CETA during their meeting today in Dublin.
Speaking to reporters after their meeting, both Trudeau and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar sang the praises of CETA as a commitment to free trade and a pact which will benefit both sides.
Trudeau reiterated that CETA will deliver stronger economic growth and create more well-paid jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.
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"CETA will give Canadian and Irish businesses greater access to each other's markets," Trudeau said. "It will deliver stronger economic growth, the kind of growth that benefits all citizens, not just the wealthiest."
Trade between Canada and Ireland totalled about $2.4 billion in 2016, but both countries want the agreement to work — Canada views it as a hedge against U.S. protectionism, and Ireland as a hedge against an uncertain post-Brexit future.
"Most important, it will create more good, well-paying jobs for workers on both sides of the Atlantic," Trudeau said.
Varadkar said while Canada is very large and Ireland is small, both countries have many similarities, notably by having large neighbours "going in different directions for the time being" — referring to the U.S. protectionist path and Britain's divorce talks with the EU.
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