Evidence of meeting #4 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was access.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
It's expected to be put in place by 2015. The Americans will have signed by that time, most likely.
Do you expect any changes in the deal or are the Americans just going to comply with what the deal is? Is that what you would expect?
4:25 p.m.
Chief Trade Negotiator, Canada-European Union, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
The deal that we've negotiated is between Canada and the EU. The U.S. will have no say—
4:30 p.m.
Chief Trade Negotiator, Canada-European Union, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
—on what our deal looks like.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
I hope that's right, for sure, and possibly it is, but I'm just wondering about processed product. We expect to do a large amount of processing. Do you expect the Americans to receive the same type of deal, let's say with their processed lobster? Would you expect that they would receive the same type of deal as Canadians do? You would expect that would have some effect on what we would export on the processing side to the European Union.
I don't see the European Union leaving the Americans out of this deal. Perhaps they will, but I think they will be in on it in some way or another; they generally are. I would also expect that they will be involved in the processing industry. Do you not see that affecting the amount of processed product that we would be able to put on the shelves of European Union countries?
I would hope that we'd be able to fill all of the shelves, and nothing would be better. Whoever wants to take credit, it's great, and whichever government does, it's great. But sometimes it does not always work out that way.
4:30 p.m.
Chief Trade Negotiator, Canada-European Union, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Well, I think I'd have two reactions to that.
First of all, by getting the agreement first on our side between Canada and the EU, it gives us a chance to develop those markets, to develop joint projects, and to develop customer relationships, to be in there first and get established long before the U.S. would be able to. If the U.S. and the EU manage to reach an agreement— and that is an “if”, because I think they will have some significant challenges—including on that element, then certainly we will have some head-to-head competition with the U.S., but we will have had a head start.
The other benefit that would come to us in that situation is that, in all likelihood, we would then be able to have no restrictions on bringing U.S. product into Canada, processing it, and exporting it to the EU, because then it would be considered of North American origin, and we'd both have free trade agreements with the EU.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rodney Weston
Mr. Verheul and Ms. Renart, I want to thank you very much for being here today. It certainly has been very informative for me and I'm sure for all committee members. We certainly appreciate your taking the time to come here and enlighten us on this historic agreement. Once again, on behalf of the committee, thank you very much.
Now we'll go in camera for committee business.
[Proceedings continue in camera]