The federal government has introduced legislation to enact a free trade deal with Jordan.
“Jordan is a country of opportunity,” Canadian agriculture minister Gerry Ritz told a Nov. 17 news conference after introducing the bill in the House of Commons.
“We see Jordan as a real market for a number of our sectors.”
He said the Middle Eastern country imports close to $7 million worth of pulse crops, frozen French fries, beef, animal feed and prepared foods each year from Canada.
He said in addition to markets int Jordan, a deal offers Canada access to a broader Middle Eastern market.
According to the legislation, debated for the first time in Parliament Nov. 18, Jordan will eliminate all non-agricultural tariffs and most agricultural tariffs including on pulse crops. Currently, tariffs range from 10 to 30 percent.
