Trudeau off to Brussels to sign free trade deal
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will finally travel to Brussels this weekend to sign the Canada-EU free trade deal known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA.
The Prime Minister’s Office, which confirmed Trudeau’s off-again, onagain travel plans, says Trudeau will depart Saturday night in order to attend the summit, now scheduled to take place on Sunday.
Trudeau spoke Friday with European Council president Donald Tusk, who confirmed that the texts of the deal, along with a side agreement known as the Strategic Partnership Agreement, have been approved and are ready to be signed.
“President Tusk invited Prime Minister Trudeau to sign the CETA and the SPA on October 30, 2016, at the Canada-European Union (EU) Summit in Brussels,” the PMO said in a statement. “The prime minister accepted the president’s invitation. This summit will mark a historic step in Canada-EU relations.”
Trudeau had initially expected to sign the deal in Brussels earlier this week, but the restive Belgian region of Wallonia put the brakes on that plan by standing in opposition to the controversial deal.
In recent weeks, the tiny French-speaking region of 3.5 million people opposed the deal’s investorstate dispute settlement mechanism, with the support of other European politicians and anti-trade activists.
An agreement Thursday give national and regional parliaments throughout Europe new powers over those controversial investor protection provisions, prompting warnings from some observers that the pact remains a fragile one.
A final obstacle was removed Friday when Wallonia officially voted to withdraw their opposition to the deal.