U.K. urges Canada to ratify its entry into Pacific trade pact
BNN Bloomberg
A British trade official called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to ratify the U.K.’s entry into a Pacific trade deal by the end of the year, despite opposition from some Canadian agriculture groups.
The two countries are at an impasse in their bilateral free trade talks, which may also be delaying Canadian action to help the U.K. join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, known by the acronym CPTPP.
The U.K. signed onto the latter accord last July, and its Parliament formally ratified the deal last week. But before it can start enjoying the benefits, the U.K. needs six of the CPTPP’s 11 members to ratify its accession — and so far only Singapore, Japan, and Chile have done so.
Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng has yet to introduce a ratification bill in the country’s House of Commons.
