Trudeau to push free trade in Europe trip
Posted Feb 15, 2017 04:28:05 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will arrive in Europe tomorrow with free trade at the top of his agenda.
He will deliver a pro-trade message in an address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France — a first for a Canadian leader — and deliver the same message to top business leaders and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday in Berlin.
Government officials say Trudeau won’t be shy about trumpeting liberalized, multilateral trade deals such as Canada’s deal with the European Union — the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement know as CETA.
The European Parliament is set to ratify CETA today, which will pave the way for 90 per cent of it to come into force once Canada’s Parliament follows suit in the coming months.
Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne will be in Strasbourg today ahead of Trudeau for the parliamentary vote on CETA.
He says he expects it to pass.
