Trudeau announces Pacific trade agreement without US

[DonViejo]

Source: The Hill




BY REBECCA SAVRANSKY - 01/23/18 01:03 PM EST

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday that Canada — along with the 10 other remaining countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) — would work toward creating a revised trade agreement.

Trudeau said in a statement that the countries involved — not including the U.S. — finished talks in Tokyo on a "new Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)."

In the statement, Trudeau said that "strengthening Canada’s economic relationship with countries in the large and economically fast-growing Asia-Pacific region to support prosperity and create jobs for our middle class is a priority for Canada." He said Canada had always said it would agree to a deal that is in Canada's best interests.

"To that end, Canada has been working very hard on the new CPTPP, from spearheading the first meetings of officials in May 2017 to proposing several suspensions and changes to secure better terms for Canadians throughout this burgeoning region," he said in the statement.

Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/international/370285-trudeau-announces-pacific-trade-agreement-without-us

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. We can sell each other hair dye. NT

[olegramps]

13. Trump has succeeded in making the U.S. into to Third Rate Banana Republic.

We are not hated. We are regarded as a ridiculously inconsequential. The blob that occupies the White House has the respect that one reserves for pathetic dimwits. He is morally and intellectually bankrupt. We have finally succeeded in electing a demagogue who has the morals of jackal. Good Luck America!!!

[Freethinker65]

2. Thanks Trump!!!!!

What a fucking nightmare.

[karynnj]

3. Good news for the world -- not so much, the US

It does mean if Trudeau and others succeed, there will be a chance for the US - under a different President and Congress to join. We will be able to look at the impact on Canada to assess whether -- as people like Obama and Kerry said - the TPP was in our interest.

[nolabear]

4. I might be too old to immigrate but my kids could, and take me along.

Canada does in fact have a merit-based immigration policy, and as a retired therapist I don't suppose I'd make the cut, but my kids are in wine, early education and physical fitness, all hot properties right now.

Seriously, if we don't move into the freaking 21st Century we are just going to languish until we're a massive Third World country and then we're really vulnerable to all the things they're whipping up irrational fear about now.

[msongs]

5. negotiated in secret, not allowed to read it before voting, up or down vote only no changes

not a big loss for american democracy

[RandomAccess]

9. And those courts!

I don't understand how Obama could have let those sovereignty-killing types of things in, I really don't. I can only assume he wasn't made aware.

How ironic that he feared getting into the White House and being in a "bubble," and out of touch. If he'd just had a look at some of the press on the TPP he might have understood.

Tragic, in more ways than one.

[stuffmatters]

12. Yes! Good article by Shirley Varghese in Alternet Aug 19 on how ISDS is being improved

Those ISDS kangaroo corporate courts FINALLY seem to be getting blowback with principles and power granted being rewritten. Maybe that has to do with American absence in these new negotiations in TPP and NAFTA. The article states that there's a new
emphasis on Nation's rights to protect the public (eg economic.environmental, labor, gender, ethnic)over investors and corporations.
We're not involved now, but maybe our absence in renegotiating NAFTA and TPP gave the space to improve the ISDS now and a more beneficial frameworkin these Trade agreements for a future Democratic Administration to join. I'm optimistic. Anything that curtails ISDS as the mechanism to extort corporate wealth from national treasuries, a consequence of ISDS the article describes well.

[bronxiteforever]

6. And today the Con is using 19th Century tariffs to defeat solar.

And to start a trade war with China that we can’t win.
The foreign and economic policy of this country is pathetic.

[Dawson Leery]

7. Tariffs and Isolationism will ruin us all.

Trump is easily the worst President.

[The_Casual_Observer]

8. In the mean time the US isolates itself, runs up the deficit, sends more troops

to Afghanistan, starts tariff wars. We are the Trump Taj Mahal

[bronxiteforever]

11. This + 100000

[Yavin4]

10. The world moves forward without us.

Soon Canada may build a wall to keep us out.