CETA a bright light against a protectionist world, says trade minister
OTTAWA — With the U.S. presidential election looming, Canada’s new trade deal with Europe should be seen as a showcase for how strong trading relationships are better than “building walls,” International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland said Monday.
The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, could set the tone for any future talks with a new administration in Washington, Freeland said as she hailed Sunday’s signing of the deal.
“I am very concerned by the protectionist rhetoric we are hearing in the United States,” Freeland told an Ottawa news conference prior to tabling legislation to implement the agreement for review by Parliament.
“The protectionist backlash we’re seeing in a lot of the world, including in Europe, is dangerous. In being able to get CETA signed … Canada has done something very powerful and very strong in the world to push back against that.”