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QuickQuotes from business on Canada agreeing to revised TPP trade deal

Canadian business sectors had mixed reactions to news that Canada and the remaining members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership had agreed to a revised trade agreement. Here’s what a few are saying.

Canadian business sectors had mixed reactions to news that Canada and the remaining members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership had agreed to a revised trade agreement. Here’s what a few are saying.

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“It’s a pretty sombre day for the 220,000 Canadians that depend on dairy for their livelihood…The domestic dairy sector has already been carved out once with CETA, now with TPP, as we’re in the negotiations with NAFTA. Our message to the government is quite clear, no more concessions. You cannot continue to carve out the Canadian dairy sector.” - Jacques Lefebvre, CEO of the Dairy Farmers of Canada

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“I think it’s fantastic that our government’s finally moving ahead with it, Canadian Cattlemen have been big supporters of the TPP deal all the way through…Japan is the gold ring of this deal for beef producers in Canada. Japan covets our grain-fed products.” - Dan Darling, President, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association

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“We’re fighting for auto jobs here in Canada, and they just signed a TPP deal which we know is going to undermine it. So how do we argue with any credibility in NAFTA that auto is our number one sector when we just agreed to the elimination, probably, of about 24,000 jobs….In other words, those that are here at the bargaining table who are fighting for a progressive trade agenda just had their legs cut off.” - Jerry Dias, Unifor President

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“We’ve been advocating for some time that they do sign on to the deal.”

“It also sends a signal that a number of countries think multilateral deals are still a good thing to do…we have long believed that the broader agreements are likely a lot more appropriate because then you almost get standardized rules across a number of countries.” - Ron Bonnett, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture

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“The way this new deal was suddenly announced, without any consultation or transparency, is undemocratic and flies in the face of the government’s claims that it is standing up for workers in trade negotiations.” - Canadian Labour Congress president Hassan Yussuff

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“The fact that these eleven countries are committed to taking down trade barriers provides a powerful and positive message about the future of global trade.” - Perrin Beatty, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce

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“Canada’s trade agenda needs to ensure our large manufacturers get fair reciprocal access to the markets of our trading partners before we further open up Canada’s market to companies that do not manufacture in Canada or employ significant numbers in Canada.” - Mark Nantais, president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association

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“The CPTPP will further increase access to key global markets for Canadian forest products…Fostering exports will create more middle class jobs in the over 600 forest dependent communities across Canada and help the forest sector diversify its markets.” -Derek Nighbor, chief executive of the Forest Products Association of Canada