Vancouver Board of Trade eagerly supports Trans-Pacific Partnership

VANCOUVER – A business advocacy group in British Columbia is applauding a tentative agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership between Canada and 11 other nations.

The Vancouver Board of Trade says the pact will provide increased and privileged market access for Canadian exports, services and investments.

Board of Trade CEO Iain Black says the ambitious deal will further deepen B.C.’s trade ties with the Asia-Pacific region.

He says the T-P-P will cut regulatory barriers on B.C. exports from fruit and seafood to wood, forestry products, metals and minerals.

The board of trade also believes the agreement will mean improved B.C. access to a broad range of services ranging from financial to architectural, engineering, environmental and transportation.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership creates a massive Pacific Rim trading bloc, covering 40 per cent of the world’s economy, 800-million consumers and countries including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Peru, Singapore and Brunei.