After months of filibuster by New Democrat and Bloc Québécois MPs, the House of Commons has approved in principle legislation to implement a free trade deal with Colombia.
The 182-78 vote came late April 19 after the minority Conservative government used a closure motion to end debate.
The Liberals supported them in passing the legislation.
The bill is strongly supported by most agricultural groups with an interest in the Colombian market, including the livestock industry and the Canadian Wheat Board. It now goes to the Commons trade committee for what will be raucous hearings.
Critics complained that the free trade deal is a reward for a Colombian government with a bad human rights record.
Supporters said it is an opportunity for Canadian exporters and a way to hold Colombia to higher human rights standards.
“We engage in trade with all sorts of countries that do not have perfect electoral situations,” Liberal Martha Hall Findlay said in the final debate. “Women do not have the right to vote in a number of countries with which we promote trade.”
She said she does not object because increased trade gives Canada the ability to insist that internal policies be modernized.
Saskatchewan Conservative Randy Hoback said the Colombia deal is good for agriculture.
“Columbia maintains tariffs averaging 17 percent on agricultural products with tariffs ranging from 10 percent to as high as 108 percent for some pork products, 80 percent for beef products and 60 percent for beans,” he said.
The deal will eliminate 80 percent of agricultural tariffs at a saving of $25 million annually for agricultural exporters.
“From the start, we were guided by the principle that a successful outcome in agriculture would be absolutely critical,” Hoback said.
Meanwhile, a proposed free trade deal with Jordan was also subject to a trade committee hearing last week.
Western Canadian farmers would be major beneficiaries, but a senior federal trade official said the agreement is as much political as commercial.
“I certainly think it is fair to say that we have both commercial trade and political objectives in this case,” Don Stephenson, assistant deputy foreign affairs minister responsible for trade policy and negotiations, told the Commons trade committee.
“It is a small market but it’s a growing market and it’s a start in the region where otherwise we are not represented.”
It will be Canada’s first free trade agreement with an Arab or Middle Eastern country.
It will also offer exporters better access to a small but growing market.
Canada exported $65.8 million worth of goods to the country last year. Lentils and chickpeas were among the top exports.
Douglas George, director of bilateral market access issues at the foreign affairs and trade department, said the range of agricultural exports will increase if the free trade deal takes effect.
“Looking at Western Canada, we see benefits to a range of products, largely agricultural products such as pulses, beef animal feeds, canaryseed and forest products,” he said.
The bill to implement the Canada-Jordan free trade agreement has not yet been approved by the House of Commons ,but MPs are expected to approve the Jordanian deal soon and send it to the trade committee for hearings.
