Evidence of meeting #20 for International Trade in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cptpp.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair (Hon. Judy A. Sgro (Humber River—Black Creek, Lib.)) Liberal Judy Sgro
I call the meeting to order.
Welcome to meeting number 20 of the best committee on the Hill, which is the international trade committee.
First, we are going to deal with the study budget for Bill C-13—you received a draft of it yesterday—for $8,250. Could we adopt this before we start with the witnesses?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Thank you very much.
Pursuant to the order of reference of Thursday, December 11, 2025, the committee is resuming its study on Bill C-13.
We have back with us today, from the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, Jeff Nankivell, president and chief executive officer, by video conference. From the Canadian Meat Council, we have friends back to see us. We have Claire Citeau, vice-president of international trade, and Jorge Correa, vice-president of market access and technical affairs. From the Canadian Pork Council, we have Stephen Heckbert, president and chief executive director, and René Roy, chair. All of them have been with us before.
Welcome. As you know, we will start with opening remarks and then proceed to rounds of questions. You each have up to five minutes.
We'll start with Mr. Nankivell, please. I invite you to speak to the committee.
Jeff Nankivell President and Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
Madam Chair, good morning to you and to the members of the committee.
I'm speaking to you from Singapore, where I arrived today in advance of next week's Canada-in-Asia Conference, an annual event convened here by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada that is now in its fourth edition.
Supported by the Government of Canada and over two dozen other partners, this flagship event brings together leaders of businesses and institutions from across Asia and established and aspiring leaders in Asia engagement from across Canada. More than 700 participants attended last year's conference, a majority being from the private sector, with two-thirds coming from across Asia and one-third from Canada. We're on track for similar numbers next week.
I mention this event because it relates directly to my key theme today, which is that CPTPP expansion is an essential opportunity to advance Canada's core strategic interest of building new networks and new coalitions of like-minded middle powers.
Simply put, in a world with our autonomy and reliable access to markets under assault, we need to use whatever levers are available to us to build durable, rules-based trade arrangements with partners that are committed to continuing trade liberalization and resisting economic coercion.
U.K. accession to the CPTPP is important for Canada, because linking the CPTPP to other major trading partners and regional blocs is core to Canada's new strategic needs.
The CPTPP itself is a major asset for Canada, and it is doubly so in our present circumstances. It's a high-quality, comprehensive, state-of-the-art trade agreement among a group of countries that are genuinely committed to trade liberalization. The U.K. is another such country, and the precedent of growing the agreement outside the region is helpful for Canadian interests. The successful integration of the U.K. into the CPTPP signals that a high-standard trade integration is still possible, despite protectionist trends elsewhere in the world. Furthermore, U.K. accession has already been endorsed by nine of the 11 CPTPP members, and continuing delay on the part of Canada risks undermining our credibility as a leading voice in this group.
This is important because we now have other interests in areas such as defence, security and foreign policy, and our influence with these key partners depends in part on our reputation as a reliable, engaged player and a positive force in trade expansion.
The importance of CPTPP for Canada today is such that at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, we've made it a major element of our overall work, which is aimed at supporting Canadians to understand, connect with and succeed in Asia. In 2024, we launched a unique evergreen web portal on which official CPTPP documents and related research are made available to Canadians and a global audience, similar to the University of Toronto's G7 Information Centre. In our current, extraordinary geopolitical context, this work has taken on deeper significance and urgency. Of particular importance is the initiative to create linkages between the CPTPP and the European Union, as well as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN. Canada is uniquely positioned to play a pivotal role in such arrangements.
APF Canada has encouraged such linkages in the past. Prime Minister Carney advanced the idea recently, and some initial progress was made at November's CPTPP Commission meetings in Australia, where joint statements were issued between the CPTPP and the EU and with ASEAN. The sooner we get ratification of U.K. accession fully behind us, the more we can focus on advancing this important agenda.
For Canadian exporters operating or seeking to operate in multiple regions, any progress in harmonizing regulatory requirements across Europe, the U.K. and the Indo-Pacific, even partially, would lower compliance costs and reduce other expensive complexities.
This brings me to my final point: None of this amounts to much if our businesses don't get the information and support they need to benefit from new trade agreements. The federal government, Crown corporations, provincial trade ministries and trade associations must be adequately resourced to follow through with proactive measures assisting Canadian businesses to understand the new opportunities, find new partners and navigate the regulatory requirements in jurisdictions that are new to them.
I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the committee's deliberations. I look forward to your questions, which I'll be pleased to answer in either official language.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Thank you very much, and I hope you have a wonderful trip in Singapore.
Go ahead, Ms. Citeau, please, for up to five minutes.
Claire Citeau Vice-President, International Trade, Canadian Meat Council
Thank you for inviting us to appear before the committee on behalf of the Canadian Meat Council.
the voice of Canada's federally licensed meat industry, known as the CMC.
CMC is the largest component of the food processing sector, with over $32 billion in annual sales and nearly 300,000 jobs across the country. Our members process more than 90% of Canada's meat, supplying Canadian families and over 90 export markets around the world with safe, high-quality protein. Our sector depends on trade for value, diversification and carcass utilization, with over half of Canadian meat production destined for export markets such as the U.S., China, Japan, Mexico and South Korea.
From the Canadian Meat Council's perspective, U.K. accession is a disappointment and a loss of negotiating leverage for Canada, although it will not significantly change the day-to-day reality for our beef and pork exporters. The U.K. continues to apply the same non-tariff barriers and sanitary and phytosanitary measures as the EU does, so our core market access challenges remain largely unchanged.
For beef, there is a strong interest in high-quality Canadian product, but the primary challenge is the limited availability of hormone-free cattle needed to reliably serve the U.K. market. This supply constraint is effectively the only barrier for small and medium-sized plants that can meet EU and U.K. standards and could otherwise consider exporting, as they are well positioned to serve this niche market.
Until we address this structural supply issue, CETA, the U.K. FTA or CPTPP accession alone will not unlock the full potential of the U.K. and EU as premium markets for Canadian beef.
Jorge Correa Vice-President, Market Access and Technical Affairs, Canadian Meat Council
For pork, the priority is the removal of burdensome testing requirements, notably for Trichinella, which act as red tape and limit trade flows despite a strong demand for fresh, high-value Canadian pork.
Securing science-based recognition of Canada's controlled housing and on-farm food safety programs, as well as eliminating unnecessary and costly testing, would deliver a tangible and significant boost to pork exports to both the U.K. and the EU in the near term, aligning with the government's goal of doubling exports.
Another impediment for some of the largest Canadian plants is the requirement for complex, multi-year scientific review dossiers. Science-based antimicrobial interventions, such as the use of organic acids, have improved food safety and product shelf life, but their use in exports remains subject to lengthy and complex approval processes in the U.K. and the EU. The Canadian industry must further advance the required submissions and work with the government to move this file forward.
Our message today is that Canadian red meat remains committed to the U.K. market, in which genuine opportunities exist. However, the focus now must be on practical technical fixes.
We encourage the government to use every available mechanism, including CETA, CPTPP, the trade continuity agreement and our SPS dialogues, to resolve SPS and regulatory barriers rather than stepping away from existing agreements and further weakening Canada's leverage.
Liberal
René Roy Chair, Canadian Pork Council
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you to the members of the committee for having us here today.
My name is René Roy. I'm the chair of the Canadian Pork Council. With me today is Stephen Heckbert, our president and CEO. We're pleased to represent more than 7,000 Canadian pork producers from coast to coast to coast.
Our industry is an $11-billion economic engine, and we are an export-focused industry, with more than half our product exported to countries around the world.
From our perspective, the U.K. accession to the CPTPP means that we have surrendered our negotiating leverage for Canada, but we understand the need for real politics in today's environment. This will not significantly change the day-to-day reality of our pork producers or processors, since the U.K. continues to apply the same non-tariff trade barriers and sanitary and phytosanitary measures as the European Union.
Our market access challenges will remain. For pork, we could remove burdensome testing requirements, notably for Trichinella, which serve only to limit trade flow despite strong demand for fresh, high-value Canadian pork. Canada has not had a case of Trichinella for almost 70 years, so this is no longer a requirement for health protection. It's simply a non-tariff trade barrier.
Securing science-based recognition of Canada's controlled housing and on-farm food safety program and eliminating this unnecessary, costly testing would deliver a tangible and significant boost to pork exports to both the U.K. and the EU in the near term, aligning with the government goals of doubling export.
As free traders, Canada's pork producers remain committed to growing opportunities for markets in which genuine desires for free trade exist. We are asking for a focus on delivering true access with practical fixes rather than the symbolism of another agreement. We encourage the government to use the mechanisms available—notably, CETA, CPTPP, the trade continuity agreement and our SPS dialogues—to resolve these SPS and regulatory barriers.
We want to bring our high-quality Canadian pork to the world, and we know that British pork farmers simply cannot produce enough pork to serve their market. At present, they import high-cost EU pork, which merely serves to drive up food costs for their consumers. In a world where our alliances need to help focus on food security, as well as national security, we know that we can be a reliable source of delicious pork and pork products for Great Britain.
Thank you, and we'll be happy to take your questions.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Thank you very much to you all.
We'll move on to our members, please, with Mr. Groleau for six minutes.
February 3rd, 2026 / 11:10 a.m.
Conservative
Jason Groleau Conservative Beauce, QC
Good morning, Madam Chair.
Good morning, distinguished guests.
My question is for the president of the Canadian Pork Council, Mr. Roy, who proudly hails from Beauce.
Mr. Roy, are pork producers currently satisfied with trade relations with the United Kingdom?
Chair, Canadian Pork Council
No. The issue is non-tariff barriers. We'd like to have smooth trade between partners who trust each other on scientific grounds. Right now, things are off kilter, because their side doesn't recognize the science. The trichina worm parasite has not been present in our livestock for over 60, nearly 70 years. That's not a valid argument to include in a trade agreement, but that's what the Britons are doing right now. This only blocks the entry of our products into Great Britain.
Conservative
Jason Groleau Conservative Beauce, QC
If I'm not mistaken, our food safety standards are among the highest in the world. Is that correct?
Conservative
Chair, Canadian Pork Council
In our opinion, this is a protectionist measure, and it's a matter of doing business with other players. As I mentioned earlier, others have access to that market, but Great Britain is blocking Canadian producers and processors from entering it.
Conservative
Jason Groleau Conservative Beauce, QC
Are other countries subject to the same non-tariff barriers as Canada?
Conservative
Jason Groleau Conservative Beauce, QC
So they are opening their market to those people and blocking our access with non-tariff barriers.
You often talk about food security and national security. What do you mean by that, specifically?
Chair, Canadian Pork Council
We know that the geopolitical situation has changed considerably. As an agricultural superpower, Canada can create strategic alliances, because food security is a matter of national security. Beyond the issue of military defence, we also need to forge those alliances and this degree of attachment or co-operation in terms of food. Many countries don't have the capacity to produce all their own food. We have the capacity, so we can be strategic allies.
Mr. Heckbert, would you like to add anything?
Stephen Heckbert President and Chief Executive Director, Canadian Pork Council
Yes, we can see, for example, that Japan is very aware of the fact that we would be their leading exporter of pork. So it really makes sense to work closely with the Japanese, and they can trust Canada to be with them when it comes to food. That's really the kind of alliance we need to make in a world that's changing every day. We really need to think of our food production capacity as a means to forge alliances around the world.
Conservative
Jason Groleau Conservative Beauce, QC
If I understand correctly, you have a lot of export capacity, more than the United Kingdom. If I'm not mistaken, they export roughly $9 million a year, but you export very little because of this barrier. Are you able to produce enough?
Chair, Canadian Pork Council
Yes, we can produce and export. It's really about market access.
Conservative
Jason Groleau Conservative Beauce, QC
We're going to sign another agreement with them when we already have a bad one. Do you think the government negotiators are doing a good job right now? Should we first resolve the issue of these non-tariff barriers and have them removed before negotiating on a larger scale?
Chair, Canadian Pork Council
As producers, when we see pork products entering Canada but we can't export, it makes no sense to us.