Canada-European Union Trade
Were Canada to sign a free trade deal with the European Union, it would certainly have its benefits. Of course the way that Canada subsidizes its farmers would become an impediment to establishing the kind of free trade that the EU is looking for on behalf of its 27 members. And Canadian producers of certain products would face new constraints, being forced through that union, to scale back on their use of product-place-names.
The European Union has enacted some pretty absurd regulations it insists all its members must follow in conformity with its vision of regularization. Not always well received by its many members, and appearing at times fairly ridiculous. But it is a giant bureaucracy, and this is what bureaucracies do; impose their regulating determination upon those dependent on their whims, posing as contractual obligations.
The truth of the matter is, Canada is in dire need of a trade escape hatch. Which is to say, another source of trade opportunities that might rival that of our two-way trade with the United States, our single largest trading partner. (NAFTA-Mexico trade far less so.) And a trade bully, which stands to reason given that the weaker partner in a binary relationship usually is forced to agree with the demands of the stronger. It's the way the world works.
An optimistic estimate of the potential of an economic boost of $12-billion on an annual basis is nothing to casually wipe off the slate of opportunities. Pierre Trudeau, away back when, attempted to branch Canada's trade out into Europe, with scant success. The current Canadian government has been seriously exploring the possibility and the EU has expressed interest. In the process Canada has had to swallow the indignity of the seal boycott.
A restructuring of Canada's agricultural tariff rate in protection of home-grown industries will be inevitable should the trade deal come to pass, and there will be plenty of outraged protests from invested poultry and dairy and cheese producers, among others. It would, in the final analysis, result in less expensive costs to the Canadian consumers of those products in a freer market, and a tightening of business practise for the affected producers.
Competition in an assured more open marketplace is always painful, but the successful producers will come through, and they will also see their markets expanding, as they will then be free to export to the European market with broader opportunities. It's not as though EU member countries don't have their own protected markets. It's a matter of negotiating and shuffling, and compromising.
Supply management won't be entirely dead in Canada, through manipulating to achieve a free trade agreement. There will be adjustments. Protected industries will see some hits but not to the extent that they won't still be opportunistically viable. The true dull note in the symphony of light melodic strains is the EU's intellectual property strictures, particularly with pharmaceuticals and patent protection.
That sounds a really sour note in the theatrical production of opening markets and expanding trade, and one that will hit Canadian consumers, who represent a population whose use of drugs for medical-health purposes is higher than the average.
The European Union has enacted some pretty absurd regulations it insists all its members must follow in conformity with its vision of regularization. Not always well received by its many members, and appearing at times fairly ridiculous. But it is a giant bureaucracy, and this is what bureaucracies do; impose their regulating determination upon those dependent on their whims, posing as contractual obligations.
The truth of the matter is, Canada is in dire need of a trade escape hatch. Which is to say, another source of trade opportunities that might rival that of our two-way trade with the United States, our single largest trading partner. (NAFTA-Mexico trade far less so.) And a trade bully, which stands to reason given that the weaker partner in a binary relationship usually is forced to agree with the demands of the stronger. It's the way the world works.
An optimistic estimate of the potential of an economic boost of $12-billion on an annual basis is nothing to casually wipe off the slate of opportunities. Pierre Trudeau, away back when, attempted to branch Canada's trade out into Europe, with scant success. The current Canadian government has been seriously exploring the possibility and the EU has expressed interest. In the process Canada has had to swallow the indignity of the seal boycott.
A restructuring of Canada's agricultural tariff rate in protection of home-grown industries will be inevitable should the trade deal come to pass, and there will be plenty of outraged protests from invested poultry and dairy and cheese producers, among others. It would, in the final analysis, result in less expensive costs to the Canadian consumers of those products in a freer market, and a tightening of business practise for the affected producers.
Competition in an assured more open marketplace is always painful, but the successful producers will come through, and they will also see their markets expanding, as they will then be free to export to the European market with broader opportunities. It's not as though EU member countries don't have their own protected markets. It's a matter of negotiating and shuffling, and compromising.
Supply management won't be entirely dead in Canada, through manipulating to achieve a free trade agreement. There will be adjustments. Protected industries will see some hits but not to the extent that they won't still be opportunistically viable. The true dull note in the symphony of light melodic strains is the EU's intellectual property strictures, particularly with pharmaceuticals and patent protection.
That sounds a really sour note in the theatrical production of opening markets and expanding trade, and one that will hit Canadian consumers, who represent a population whose use of drugs for medical-health purposes is higher than the average.
Labels: Canada, Economy, European Union
posted by Pieface | 7:27 PM
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