Canada’s
new trade minister, François-Philippe Champagne, wants trade talks with China,
India and Japan.
He was
commenting after President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the
12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
Australia
says it believes the TPP can go ahead without the U.S., but Chrystia Freeland,
Canada’s minister of Global Affairs, says it can’t work without the U.S.
Champagne
said he’s taking stock of Canada’s options, but it is clear many Asian
countries are eager to deepen their trade
“We want
to send a message that Canada is open to trade, obviously with China, with
India, with Japan. I’ve had meetings with our counterparts so we’re going to be
considering our options,” he said Monday night in Calgary, where the Liberal
cabinet held a two-day retreat.
Supply management for
Canada’s dairy industry is not likely to be much of an issue with China, India
and Japan, but it is a huge issue with the United States, New Zealand and
Australia.
Canada
also has natural resources that are of interest to many Asian countries and
that puts Canada into a strong bargaining position.
More
worrisome for supply-management farmers is Trump’s insistence that the North
American Free Trade Agreement be opened for re-negotiation.
