Trudeau denies reports of deal

FEDS DISMISS REPORTS OF A TPP DEAL

Canada won’t be pressured into prematurely signing a deal on the TransPacific Partnership, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday as his Liberal government flatly denied media reports of a “deal in principle” on the Pacific Rim trade pact.

The 11 remaining TPP economies, including Canada, have been trying to salvage the deal after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out earlier this year.

But Trudeau’s remarks, along with signals from government insiders, suggest the Liberals — who are currently preoccupied with rescuing NAFTA — hope to avoid making any hurried commitments on the treaty during this week’s APEC meetings in Danang.

“We’re not going to sign a deal just because we feel pressured into signing a deal — we’re going to make sure that it’s right for Canada and it’s right for the world,” Trudeau said during an armchair discussion in front of 1,200 students at Ton Duc Thang University in Ho Chi Minh City.

“We’re in no rush to do that, so we’re going to take our time and look carefully at the negotiations.”

Trudeau is scheduled to meet today in Danang with his counterparts from the other TPP countries, where they will also take part in the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation summit.

A media report surfaced Thursday citing the Japanese economy minister as saying that the pact’s remaining countries had agreed in principle on a way to proceed with the TPP — a report that was quickly quashed by International Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne.