12 countries, including Canada, reach tentative Trans-Pacific trade deal
ATLANTA — Twelve nations, including Canada, have reached a tentative deal on the so-called Trans-Pacific Partnership — a massive Pacific Rim trading bloc billed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper as the largest-ever deal of its kind.
After five days of marathon, around-the-clock negotiations, a deal has been reached to create the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would cover 40 per cent of the world’s economy.
“Each one of us comes to the table with a clear goal of promoting and defending the interests of our own countries, of our own economies,” International Trade Minister Ed Fast told the closing news conference.
“That often means there are very tough discussions that take place, (but) at the end of the day, here we are as 12 TPP partners, having achieved something that some time ago, people didn’t think was achievable.”