Minister Champagne highlights benefits of Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

January 29, 2018 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

Diversifying Canada’s trade relationship with the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region is central to a progressive trade agenda and to the good, well-paying middle-class jobs that it will create.

On January 23, 2018, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of International Trade, announced that Canada and 10 members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership had concluded discussions on a new Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). From making machinery, equipment and business services more competitive, to protecting and preserving Canada’s unique culture, the CPTPP will benefit all Canadians by providing Canadian businesses with preferential market access to what will be one of the largest trading blocs in the world. The CPTPP will benefit a wide range of sectors and industries across Canada, from agriculture, automobiles, beef and seafood to forestry products.

Sector-based fact sheets and frequently asked questions (FAQs) are now available on the Global Affairs Canada website to help explain why the agreement is important to Canada and Canadian workers and how key industries will benefit. The CPTPP will help Canadian businesses create good, middle-class jobs, including in the automotive, cultural, intellectual property, broad labour and agricultural sectors, to name a few.

Beginning in November 2015, the Government of Canada conducted extensive consultations with Canadians on the TPP and a potential CPTPP. The consultations included interactions with more than 650 stakeholders from across Canada, including businesses, associations, unions, farmers, students, Indigenous groups, civil society organizations and academics. The consultations helped inform the government’s negotiating position.

In addition to listening to the views of a broad range of stakeholders in the lead-up to the CPTPP, the Government of Canada has continued to articulate the significant benefits that the agreement will deliver by holding a series of round tables with industry leaders.