Evidence of meeting #49 for International Trade in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was singapore.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Ken Epp Conservative Edmonton—Sherwood Park, AB
Thank you.
This is probably a wild and crazy question. If we expect Singapore to agree with Taiwan, or one of the other countries in this group, and work together on their end of it in the negotiations, why don't we do the same with the U.S.? Why don't we just go ahead and say with the Americans, okay, we'll hold your hand, and let's make an agreement that fits both of us? Why don't we do that?
President, Grey, Clark, Shih and Associates, Limited
Do you mean when they go to negotiate with other people?
Conservative
Ken Epp Conservative Edmonton—Sherwood Park, AB
Yes. For example, you said they were able to negotiate with Singapore and we're not. Why don't we just say we'll accept whatever agreement U.S. made with them?
President, Grey, Clark, Shih and Associates, Limited
We did try that a number of years ago, and the United States would much rather be the hub with a lot of spokes than have NAFTA go out and negotiate a number of agreements. It's a political thing for them, a perception deeply rooted in Congress. They don't want to do them with anybody else.
They get to sell their market many times because it's so big. What Mr. Woo mentioned at the beginning is very relevant. They're a very big market, and everybody wants a piece of them; not everybody wants a piece of us. So the United States figures, probably correctly, they can do a better deal on their own, and why should Canada be able to ride on their coattails.
Conservative
Ken Epp Conservative Edmonton—Sherwood Park, AB
Would it be possible for us to start with what they have agreed on as a framework? Then two-thirds or maybe nine-tenths of the work will be done when we start.
President, Grey, Clark, Shih and Associates, Limited
We try. It didn't work with Singapore.
Conservative
Ken Epp Conservative Edmonton—Sherwood Park, AB
Why not? If they were willing to agree on certain issues with the Americans and we came forward with the same points of negotiation, why wouldn't they agree to them with us?
President, Grey, Clark, Shih and Associates, Limited
For the bulk of the agreements that does work. The negotiations are usually about exceptions. Even in our agreement with the United States we have exceptions written in on agriculture and things like log exports. You can get hung up on the exceptions. In many of the agreements we're working on, the disagreements are over less than 5% of what we're talking about. That's why I like the Mexican model, because you push those things aside and work on them later.
Conservative
Ken Epp Conservative Edmonton—Sherwood Park, AB
My last comment is just a general impression. Are you optimistic that we'll be able to conclude these trade agreements satisfactorily and really get something going that's mutually beneficial to both Canada and those countries?
President, Grey, Clark, Shih and Associates, Limited
It would be helpful to the process if the government and the bureaucracy could get unanimous direction from committees like yours to change their approach, be more pragmatic, and focus on agreements and not differences.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Lui Temelkovski
Thank you very much, Mr. Epp.
Thanks to the witnesses, Mr. Woo, Madam Tapia, and Mr. Clark.
We'll meet again on Tuesday to hear from the gulf states. Immediately after our regular meeting we will convene with the steering committee. Then on Thursday we will have Statistics Canada as the main witness. That's the future business for now.
Thank you. The meeting is adjourned.