‘Big things can get done in Canada’: PM tells businesses
LIMA, PERU — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was looking for some common ground on North American free trade talks when he met with Mexico’s president on the sidelines of a major international summit in Peru’s capital.
The face-to-face came after Trudeau, whose government is struggling with a pipeline crisis at home, pitched Canada as a great place to invest by telling hundreds of business leaders “that big things can get done in Canada.”
The sit-down with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Friday was their first face-to-face since November, and comes at a critical time as Canada, Mexico and the U.S. look for a NAFTA breakthrough. It also offered Trudeau an opportunity to take stock of Mexico’s position — and perhaps share strategies — before the prime minister heads into a meeting with U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence on Saturday.
Pence is in Peru instead of U.S. President Donald Trump, who was supposed to attend but decided to stay home and said earlier this week that he was prepared to “renegotiate forever” to get a good NAFTA deal. Trudeau’s meetings with Pena Nieto and Pence come as the three are attending the Summit of the Americas, which is held every four years and brings together leaders from across the Western Hemisphere.
The prime minister started his day by meeting Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra, who served as Peru’s ambassador to Canada before the previous president was forced to resign over a scandal last month. Trudeau then delivered a 10-minute address to business leaders from across the Americas encouraging them to invest in Canada, noting that the country has free trade agreements with dozens of countries around the world. More than half the countries with which Canada has free trade agreements are in the Americas, Trudeau said, and the hope is to add a deal with Latin America’s largest trading bloc, Mercosur, to that tally.
“Even in this age where the value of trade is being questioned by some, we have successfully negotiated landmark agreements with Europe and with Asia,” Trudeau added as he took a subtle shot at protectionists like Trump. “It is also why we are sending a clear signal to the international investment community that big things can get done in Canada.”
The PM went on to emphasize Canada’s skilled labour force, low unemployment and debt-to-GDP ratio, recent federal investments in infrastructure and a new investment agency as proof that Canada is open for business. The message appeared well received, and Kenneth Frankel, president of the Canadian Council for the Americas, said the region offers a natural opportunity for Canada — particularly as it looks for a northern partner who isn’t Trump.
Yet Siegfriend Kiefer, president of Calgary-based engineering firm Atco Ltd., said Latin American leaders have told him they need new investments in infrastructure to grow their economies first. On that front, Canada’s own record on infrastructure and “national-interest projects” has room for improvement, Kiefer said, including Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline, the subject of a fierce Alberta-B. C. battle. “The business community is generally looking for proof in the pudding,” he said. “The public unrest relative to some of these projects is really what you’re trying to deal with.”