After a tumultuous two-year parliamentary ride, legislation to implement a Canada-Colombia free trade agreement is slated to become law this week.A Senate vote will be held before Parliament adjourns for summer recess.The bill passed quickly through the Senate after being bogged down for months in the House of Commons and its trade committee. New Democrat and Bloc Québécois MPs waged a fierce fight against Bill C-2, arguing that Canada should not sign a deal with a Colombian government that has a poor human rights record.Labour unions and human rights activists joined in the opposition.Most farm groups, including the Canadian Wheat Board, supported the legislation, telling Parliament that it would open up the potential for tens of millions of dollars worth of new grain, pulse crops and cattle sales.The deal eliminates tariffs on wheat and sharply cuts tariffs on other commodities.”Clearly, Canadian business sees potential in this marketplace and that is particularly true in the agriculture sector,” trade minister Peter Van Loan told the Senate foreign affairs and international trade committee June 17.”In 2009, Canada exported agri-food products worth nearly a quarter of a billion dollars to Colombia. Colombia is the second-largest market in South America for our agricultural exports.”He told senators that by getting it into law this summer, Canada will have a temporary advantage.”The expectation is that after this agreement is in place, Canada will have a free trade agreement with Colombia when the United States and the European Union have not yet ratified their agreements,” he said. “This will create a window of opportunity for some period of time where Canada can compete. It will provide Canadian farmers in particular, but also manufacturers, with a specific price-point advantage over others.”
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