Canada’s progressive push for the updated TPP might not come so easy
The Trudeau government’s push for so-called progressive chapters in a revamped Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement are likely to be a tough sell among many of Canada’s partners in the region, experts say.
International Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne has said part of Canada’s negotiating strategy, aside from preserving market access, is to press for the inclusion of chapters on the environment, labour rights and gender equality.
But trade experts like former Quebec premier Jean Charest believe Canada should proceed carefully as it tries to persuade some of its partners around the table for an updated Pacific Rim treaty.
“They’re addressing the angst of Canadians that’s shared elsewhere in the world about trade agreements having to be more than just about lining up numbers on a sheet of paper,” Charest, a partner at McCarthy Tetrault who is also on the board of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, said in an interview.