In the pages of the world press Justin Trudeau has suddenly gone from pretty boy to bad boy. Our prime minister has made waves by purportedly sabotaging the Trans Pacific Partnership talks at the APEC summit.
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has sabotaged a pact to salvage a multibillion-dollar, 11-nation Pacific Rim trade deal at the last minute, surprising leaders of the other nations, including Australia's Malcolm Turnbull.
Mr Trudeau failed to show up at a meeting late on Friday that was set to officially revive the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement that had been negotiated on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the Vietnamese coastal city of Danang.
Wait a second, he's Canadian. Our leaders don't just "fail to show up" leaving a gaggle of other world leaders in the lurch. That would be rude. I'm not even sure Trump would do that.
"There were a lot of unhappy leaders left sitting there," said an official who was in the meeting.
All 11 foreign ministers of the grouping had agreed on Thursday night to revive the agreement that was rejected by US President Donald Trump days after he took office.
But Mr Trudeau raised issues at the last minute that forced Japan's Prime Minister Shino Abe, who is chair of the gathering, to announce the meeting had to be abandoned.
Mr Turnbull has been spruiking the benefits of the TPP since arriving in Danang on Thursday, telling an APEC leaders' reception the pact "creates rules of the road to match the new economic world in which we're living".
"It aims at old hidden trade barriers like corruption and new ones like data protectionism," he said.
All 11 foreign ministers of the grouping had agreed on Thursday night to revive the agreement that was rejected by US President Donald Trump days after he took office.
But Mr Trudeau raised issues at the last minute that forced Japan's Prime Minister Shino Abe, who is chair of the gathering, to announce the meeting had to be abandoned.
Mr Turnbull has been spruiking the benefits of the TPP since arriving in Danang on Thursday, telling an APEC leaders' reception the pact "creates rules of the road to match the new economic world in which we're living".
"It aims at old hidden trade barriers like corruption and new ones like data protectionism," he said.
Officials expected that the leaders would simply rubber-stamp what had already been agreed by the trade ministers, despite the agreement being unpopular in Canada.
This is completely weird. It's the diplomatic equivalent of ditching the bride at the altar - times ten.
4 comments:
"It aims at old hidden trade barriers . . . and new ones like data protectionism"
Maybe Mr. Trudeau is finally realizing who elected him?
Much ado about nothing. Trudeau just forgot the meeting and went surfing at Danang's China Beach. Fortunately, the CBC was there to cover it.
Cap
Don't count your chickens, Anon. JT seems to be hung up on a couple of points but he still seems ready to sign the TPP if modified.
I don't see anything about the I-SDS, regulatory avoidance or labour arbitrage in the list of probable objections. What issues were the 18,000 (minus 2) raising in their input to Justin's email consultation? In any case, I'm sure everyone will emerge happy. It may just take a little more time for the curtain to come down on this act.
Ritualistic pillow fights play better when there are fewer participants.
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