Why the Delay, Minister Freeland?
Liberal Minister of International Trade says promoting trade “not her job.”

December 3, 2015
OTTAWA – The Liberal government is showing an alarming lack of urgency to support Canadian business by ratifying the milestone Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Official Opposition said today. Gerry Ritz, the Official Opposition Critic for International Trade, made the comments today in reaction to the Minister of International Trade’s remarks last evening, that persuading others that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is good is “not her job.”

“Time is ticking for the Liberal government to ratify the TPP,” said Ritz. “This agreement, which is one of the excellent legacies left behind by our previous Conservative government, opens up some of the largest and fastest-growing markets in the world to Canadian businesses. Every sector of the Canadian economy will benefit from the TPP, from agricultural producers and manufacturers to the service sector. Canada’s ratification would put pressure on other signatories to do the same, but the Trade Minister has signaled that her government’s plan is to wait on the sidelines.”

Ritz pointed out that industry and stakeholder groups were widely consulted, and overwhelmingly supportive, of the deal struck this fall. “An extended period of Liberal navel-gazing over the TPP, or over whether they support free trade at all, will do nothing to help the Canadian economy,” Ritz said.

“Like all free trade deals, the TPP will drive economic growth and job creation, which is why our government negotiated it and our party stands behind it,” Ritz said. “Thousands of hours of work by leaders, stakeholders and officials from every signatory country brought us an agreement that makes sense. Every day of Liberal delay in ratifying the TPP is a day when the Canadian economy isn’t taking advantage of its full potential. The government should ratify the TPP now so the Canadian economy can move forward.”

-30-

Contact:
Cory Hann
Director, Communications
Conservative Party of Canada
coryhann@conservative.ca

Märkmed: