In a strongly worded opinion piece focusing on the federal Liberal caucus meeting in 91大黄鸭 in two weeks, the Canada West Foundation says a number of Western MPs, including 91大黄鸭-Lake Country鈥檚 Stephen Fuhr, have been silent on what it calls an important international trade agreement that will determine this region鈥檚 future.
And it鈥檚 urging the Liberal MPs, especially those from B.C, to speak up in support of the deal.
The piece, written by the foundation鈥檚 trade and investment director Carlo Dade, says despite the U.S.鈥檚 withdrawal, the Trans Pacific Partnership is alive and well and needs the Liberal government鈥檚 attention as it will help regions like the Okanagan 鈥渃atch up with the Australians and surge past the Americans鈥� when it comes to trade with Asia.
Calling the TPP the 鈥渕ost important trade development to date,鈥� and given that a trade agreement with China would likely take close to a decade to conclude, Dade said the TPP is the only opportunity for the foreseeable future. And he is calling on Canada to ratify the deal.
鈥淩ather than killing the TPP, (U.S.) President (Donald) Trump鈥檚 withdrawal has strengthened the resolve of the remaining countries,鈥� writes Dade.
鈥淚t has also made the agreement better for Canada. Economic modelling in a Canada West Foundation report shows that Canada does better in a TPP without the U.S. in the agreement with huge tariff and other advantages over American exporters in timber, wine, seafood, fruits and vegetables and business services 鈥� all important to the Central Okanagan, B.C. and the West.鈥�
He says the advantages would continue for as long as it takes the Americans to catch up in signing trade agreements in Asia.
鈥淕iven the Trump administration鈥檚 record so far, this is a window that is open but needs to be seized as soon as possible.鈥�
So he is urging Western Liberal MPs to 鈥渟tep up鈥� and urge the federal government to commit to ratifying the TPP during their caucus meeting in 91大黄鸭 Sept. 5 to 7.
鈥淚n the West, we are watching and hoping,鈥� writes Dade.
He says simply announcing 18 months of consultations on the TPP is not good enough.
The Canada West Foundation is a Calgary-based think tank that focuses on issues affecting Western provinces as well as issues of national significance.
Founded in 1970, the foundation has been linked in the past with the former Reform Party of Canada, which became the Canadian Alliance in 2000. In 2003, the Canadian Alliance merged with the Progressive Conservative Party to form the current Conservative Party of Canada.
Reform Party stalwarts were influential in the Conservative Party, particularly under former prime minister Stephen Harper, a founding member of the Reform Party. It was under Harper鈥檚 Conservative government that Canada joined the TPP negotiations.
