A look at what was said on the Trans-Pacific Partnership on Tuesday

OTTAWA – Some selected quotes in reaction to the Trans-Pacific Partnership on Tuesday:

“We welcome the conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement negotiations … I am confident the TPP will provide a supportive framework for Bombardier to expand our aerospace and rail in this important region.” — Alain Bellemare, Bombardier president.

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“The Harper Conservatives pledged that they would not sign a deal that was a threat to Canada’s auto industry and yet, I fear they have done exactly that … it is outrageous that in the final days of an election a ‘caretaker’ government would sign such an important deal. This is grossly undemocratic.” — Jerry Dias, Unifor national president.

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“We obviously would have preferred that no additional market access be conceded in the dairy sector. However, we recognize that our government fought hard against other countries’ demands … we have come a long way from the threat of eliminating supply management. The government has clearly understood the importance of supply management dairy farms in rural Canada and the economic activities they generate.” — Wally Smith, president of Dairy Farmers of Canada.

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“Based on what was announced today, the CPC (Canadian Pork Council) strongly supports Canada participating in the Trans-Pacific Partnership … the TPP agreement provides important export growth potential which will encourage Canada’s 7,000 pork farmers to invest in their production facilities and to create new job opportunities for Canadians both on and off the farm”. — Rick Bergmann, CPC chair.

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“Eliminating tariffs on canola oil in Japan is a huge benefit to the canola industry … once the agreement is fully implemented, the TPP will put us on a level playing field in one of our most valuable export markets.” — Patti Miller, president of the Canola Council of Canada.

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“The Harper government has signed a deal that will lay off thousands of auto workers and put thousands of dairy farmers in jeopardy while giving even more foreign corporations the right to dictate Canadian policy. Stephen Harper has no right and no mandate to sign a deal that we are just learning about during a federal election.” — Maude Barlow, national chairperson for the Council of Canadians.

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“The Association of Seafood Producers applauds the conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement and welcomes the opportunities this agreement provides for our members.” — Derek Butler, association executive director.

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“We all support trade; the livelihood of millions of Canadians depends on it. But it must be fair trade … is it unreasonable to expect that such a massive deal, which gives tremendous new powers and benefits to multinational corporations, should include enforceable provisions to guarantee basic labour, health and environmental standards?” — Martin O’Hanlon, spokesman for the Trade Justice Network.

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“The Trans-Pacific Partnership will remove trade barriers and allow Canadian companies to compete solely on the merits of their products and services. In addition, for companies such as BlackBerry, having consistent rules between countries on issues such as intellectual property rights, e-commerce and the cross-border flow of data will further protect the investments we make in research and development.” — John Chen, CEO of BlackBerry.

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“This agreement is welcome news for Canada. It marks the most critical initiative in determining the future prospects for international trade and competitiveness for all farmers and processors in Canada’s very export-dependent agriculture and agri-food sector,” Joe Reda, president of the Canadian Meat Council.