Liberal
Party Seeks Increased Transparency of TPP
September 23rd, 2015 - Kwantlen Polytechnic
University - Surrey Campus
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a
trade agreement that has been under private negotiations with 12 countries
since 2006. The TPP member
countries represents a market share of approximately 800 million people and a
combined GDP of $28.5 trillion, with countries such as Australia, Brunei
Darussalam, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the
United States of America, Vietnam, and Canada. The TPP is reported to have five defining features: comprehensive
market access, regional approach to commitments, addressing new trade
challenges, inclusive trade, and platform for regional economic
integration.
The TPP would give Canada access to
Asian-Pacific markets, and vice-versa.
In addition, tariffs and other trade barriers that are imposed on a wide
variety of Canadian products would be cut, such as agriculture, aquaculture,
forestry, mining, and manufactured goods.
The agreement would also provide access to areas such as financial,
professional, architectural and engineering, research and development,
environmental, construction and transportation services.
All opposition parties have made calls to
either out right reject the TPP, such as the NDP and the Greens, or for more
transparency, such as the Liberals, since the full text has not been made
available.
At a candidate meet and greet hosted by
Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s student association, on Tuesday, September 22nd,
I was able to speak with two Liberal Party candidates. As Sukh Dhaliwal (Liberal candidate for
Surrey-Newton) and John Aldag (Liberal candidate for Cloverdale-Langley City)
put it, the Liberal Party is a strong proponent of free trade, are open to
trading with new countries, and wanting to grow Canadian businesses. As far as has been made public
knowledge, the TPP stands to remove trade barriers, and widely expand free
trade for Canada. As they put it,
the Liberals will take a responsible approach to intensively examine the TPP.
“The [Prime Minister’s Office] and the
Cabinet have royally failed by keeping Canadians in the dark, because there has
been no transparency. Even some
members of his own party don’t know the full truth of the deal,” Dhaliwal
said. “We really don’t know what
Canada is giving up, just to be part of a secret deal.”
“Right now, I know as much as you do,”
Aldag said in response to one Student’s question. When asked if he would vote in support of it if elected, Aldag
said, “I know it’s a free trade deal, but that’s about it... Right now, I’m not
ready to commit to it or out right reject it.”
Contact
Zahid Dossa
BA, Maj. Policy Studies,
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Surrey, BC
(604)
442-7865
zahid.dossa@gmail.com
Twitter: @ZahidDossa
zahid.dossa@gmail.com
Twitter: @ZahidDossa
