CCCJ welcomes impending Canada-EU free trade deal

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan welcomed news on October 16 that Canada and the European Union had reached a tentative free trade deal, officially dubbed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is now in Brussels to put the final touches on the accord.

"Our Chamber is for free or freer trade between Canada and the globe. This announcement is an important step towards this goal," commented CCCJ Chair Wilf Wakely.

Former Japanese Ambassador to Canada and current Chair of the CCCJ Honorary Board of Advisors Sadaaki Numata echoed Mr. Wakely's sentiments, saying, "We welcome the news that the Canada-EU FTA negotiations are close to completion. This would be the first FTA that Canada would be concluding with a country or a group of countries in the developed world, and as such, could offer some useful templates for the ongoing negotiations on the Japan-Canada EPA."

"We look forward to learning more about what the agreement entails, and hope that this will provide an impetus for the early conclusion of the Japan-Canada EPA," he concluded.

Mr. Wakely voiced similar sentiments, stating, "We hope that this announcement will encourage the climate of negotiations on the (Japan-Canada) EPA and of course on the TPP."

"The CCCJ welcomes this news and congratulates the government and its negotiators for achieving this landmark deal," Mr. Wakely concluded.