Harper starts sales pitch in B.C. on his return from Korean trade signing

VANCOUVER – Prime Minister Stephen Harper is wasting no time in selling his newly signed free-trade agreement with South Korea.

Harper is highlighting the benefits of the deal in a question-and-answer session before the BC Chamber of Commerce.

The prime minister says the deal will create thousands of jobs in Canada, because it offers unprecedented access to the South Korean market.

The deal is Canada’s first such agreement with an Asian country and is seen as a major step in the Conservative government’s international trade strategy.

The prime minister is in B.C. has he returns from a trade mission to Asia.

Harper strayed briefly from his message to reiterate Canada’s strong position on what’s happening in Ukraine, saying G7 countries will never accept what he describes as the illegal occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.