Congress Approves Rights Section Of Canada FTA

(Colombia Reports)

Colombian Congress members approved the human rights section of a free trade deal with Canada, and the agreement will now be considered by the Constitutional Court.

Members of Congress approved a section of the treaty which specifies that both countries must produce annual reports on how the deal is impacting on human rights. This was the only section pending between the two countries from the pact, written in 2008. The treaty provides measures providing for labor and environmental cooperation between the two countries and is expected to come into effect early next year. The agreement will provide Colombian exporters with a market of nearly 34 million people.

Sectors that stand to gain from the treaty include products from the agricultural sector including cocoa, chocolate, fats, oils, meat, auto parts, and clothing.

The government hopes the treaty will not only benefit the mining and oil sector, but also other areas of production. The two countries have been considering the treaty since 2007. The agreement had previously been stalled due to criticism in Canada over Colombia's human rights record. Read more here.

Government of Canada and Colombia Work to Remove Remaining Agricultural Barriers to Trade

(Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada)

The Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture, today announced a special round of bilateral technical discussions between the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Colombia’s Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario (ICA). The meeting confirmed for August 18, 2010, will map out the resolution of the remaining outstanding technical issues between the two countries.

“Canada and Colombia have a strong partnership based on principles of sound science that is paying dividends for our farmers,” said Minister Ritz. “By tying up the final technical details, we are helping hardworking Canadian farmers reap the full benefits of the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement when it is officially implemented.”

Colombia lifted its BSE bans on beef in January 2010 and live cattle in April 2010, demonstrating their commitment to science-based approaches to trade.

Colombia is a dynamic emerging market with a population of 48 million and an economy with high growth potential. In 2009, trade on commodities with Colombia totaled $1.2 billion. Opportunities for further growth will be facilitated by the implementation of the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which received Royal Assent in Canada in June 2010 and which will come into force once the Government of Colombia completes their domestic approval processes.

Colombia is the third-largest market in South America for Canadian agri-food products. An FTA will open new market opportunities for Canadian farmers and exporters and will help level the playing field vis-à-vis competitors that are also seeking preferential access including the United States and the European Union. The FTA will also have a positive impact on the economy and contribute to creating more jobs in Canada.

Canada Moves Forward With Colombia FTA

(Columbia Reports)

Colombia’s pending free trade agreement (FTA) with Canada moved another step forward after the Canadian Parliament’s international trade committee voted 7 to 3 in favor of the deal, reports El Dinero.

Colombia’s Commerce Minister Luis Guillermo Plata called the vote a very important step in the ratification of the agreement, which was signed in 2008.

“This was the most important ... and most difficult ... step in the agreement’s approval process,” Plata noted.

The Colombian minister went on to express his optimism about the continued progress of the FTA, which will now go back to the Canadian Parliament, and if passed, will go to the Senate.

“With these results, the parliamentary process ... moves forward, because of which we are optimistic that [the FTA] can move forward within the coming days,” Plata explained.

In late April, Plata announced that the FTA would be passed in about six weeks, after concluding an official visit to Canada. Canadian investment into Colombia between 2002 and 2009 surpassed $1 billion, which accounts for only 3.6% of the total foreign investment Colombia received during this period.

Trade between the two countries has risen dramatically in recent years, from $490 million in 2003 to $1.08 billion in 2009.

Conservatives, Liberals, and the Colombian Free Trade Deal

(Maclean’s – John Geddes)

The government’s decision yesterday [March 24] to accept a Liberal amendment to its free trade agreement with Colombia is being touted by the main architect of the side deal as a case study in how a minority Parliament should work.

Liberal MP Scott Brison, his party’s international trade critic, proposed the amendment to that would see Colombia produce an annual report, with Canadian input, on how the free trade agreement affects human rights. Trade Minister Peter Van Loan accepted Brison’s proposal, and no wonder, since it guarantees that the Conservative minority in the House will now be backed by Liberal votes on this issue, enough to get legislation enacting the trade pact passed.

“The Prime Minister and the government have been receptive,” Brison said in a telephone interview yesterday. “It’s an example where minority parliaments can work productively. There’s a lot of dysfunctionality in this minority, but there are examples every now and then about how it can work.”

That’s an upbeat way of looking at the outcome, and generous toward the Tories for accepting a proposal from across the aisle. But the background to this highly unusual case of an opposition party shaping an international treaty – even negotiating with a foreign government – is interesting as more than a rare success story in bipartisan cooperation. Read more here.

U.S. Trade Chief Says Obama Will Push Ahead on Pacts

(New York Times – Brian Knowlton)

In his first policy speech, the top United States trade official said Thursday that President Obama would work to revive global trade talks and complete three bilateral accords as part of an aggressive trade agenda.

The administration plans “a new paradigm” on trade, the trade representative, Ron Kirk, told an audience at Georgetown University. “We’re looking at everything,” he said. Rejecting fears of a turn to protectionism or a softening of support for free trade, Mr. Kirk said: “Now is not the time to turn inward. Now is not the time to be timid. Now is the time to revive global trade.”

Mr. Kirk vowed to press ahead on three bilateral trade agreements negotiated by the Bush administration. He said there was strong bipartisan support in Congress for an agreement with Panama – suggesting that its completion might come first – but that the administration was also working to advance the somewhat more controversial pacts with Colombia and South Korea.

Mr. Obama had criticized Colombia during his presidential campaign because of violence there against labor activists. But his administration has pointed to progress there since then.
On the accord with Seoul, United States auto manufacturers question whether it would adequately open South Korea’s auto market. Read more here.