Harper Government Highlights Benefits for Newfoundland and Labrador of a Potential Canada-EU Trade Agreement

Deeper trade with the European Union will bring good jobs, growth and long-term prosperity to hard-working Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, says Minister Penashue

April 27, 2012 - The Honourable Peter Penashue, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, and President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, regional minister for Newfoundland and Labrador, today joined other federal ministers in highlighting the benefits of a potential trade agreement with the European Union. The minister held an event at a local business in the province’s important manufacturing sector to highlight the benefits a Canada-EU trade agreement would generate for Canadian workers and their families.

“Our government is focused on jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. An ambitious agreement with the European Union will be a big win for Newfoundland and Labrador’s workers and businesses,” said Minister Penashue at the Rutter Inc. manufacturing facility in St. John’s. “More than 10,000 hard-working Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and their families depend on the manufacturing sector for their livelihood. A Canada-EU trade agreement will produce success for this critical sector and directly benefit workers and families who rely on it here in Newfoundland and Labrador.”

“More than 60 percent of Canada’s annual income (gross domestic product) and the jobs of one in five Canadians are generated by trade,” said the Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, in a keynote address today to the Economic Club of Canada in Ottawa. The Minister’s address was among several events being held across the country to highlight the benefits of the Canada-EU trade agreement currently under negotiation.

“An ambitious trade agreement with the European Union would generate significant benefits for hard-working Canadians in every region of our country,” said Minister Fast. “It would bring a 20-percent boost in bilateral trade and a $12-billion annual increase to Canada’s economy. That translates to an increase of $1,000 to the average Canadian family’s income, or 80,000 new jobs.”

The EU is Canada’s second-largest trading partner and the world’s largest integrated economy, with more than 500 million consumers and a GDP of over $17 trillion. The ongoing trade negotiations with the EU represent Canada’s most significant trade initiative since the historic North American Free Trade Agreement.

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A backgrounder detailing the benefits for Newfoundland and Labrador of a potential Canada-EU trade agreement follows.

For further information, media representatives may contact:

Rudy Husny
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Ed Fast
Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway
613-992-7332

Trade Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-996-2000
Follow us on Twitter: @Canada_Trade

Backgrounder - Benefits for Newfoundland and Labrador of a Potential Canada-EU Trade Agreement

Jobs, growth and long-term prosperity for hard-working Newfoundlanders and Labradorians

An ambitious trade agreement with the European Union would be of significant benefit to Canada, resulting in a 20-percent boost in bilateral trade and a $12-billion increase in Canada’s annual income (gross domestic product).

That translates to an increase of $1,000 to the average Canadian family’s income, or 80,000 new Canadian jobs—which is like adding the number of jobs currently in six cities the size of Corner Brook to the Canadian economy.

Many of Newfoundland and Labrador’s key sectors would benefit from an ambitious Canada-EU trade agreement:

Fish and seafood

• This sector employs more than 9,000 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
• The EU is the world’s largest fish and seafood market, with a global import market averaging $25 billion annually during 2009-2011.
• Current EU tariffs on Canadian fish and seafood products average 11 percent, with peaks of 25 percent. These high tariff barriers would be eliminated under an ambitious Canada-EU trade agreement.
• Eliminated tariff barriers would increase sales of Newfoundland and Labrador’s world-class fish and seafood products in the lucrative EU market of 500 million consumers. This would directly benefit Newfoundlanders and Labradorians through more jobs, higher wages and greater long-term prosperity.

Services

• The services sector, overall, employs more than 160,000 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
• The overall services sector accounted for 59 percent of the province’s economy in 2010.
• In 2010, the EU’s services import market totalled $1.4 trillion.
• Current EU trade barriers on Canadian services are citizenship or residency requirements, lack of temporary entry rules, and ownership and investment restrictions. These trade barriers would be reduced under an ambitious Canada-EU trade agreement, directly benefiting businesses and workers in this vital Newfoundland and Labrador sector.

Investment

• Direct investment by Canadian companies in the EU totalled almost $173 billion in 2011, representing over 25 percent of Canadian direct investment abroad. The same year, direct investment by European companies in Canada totalled almost $161 billion, representing over 26 percent of total foreign investment in Canada.
• Newfoundland and Labrador businesses currently have significant investments in the EU in sectors such as agriculture, and ocean and petroleum technologies.
• Putting predictable investment rules in place and guaranteeing access to EU markets will help create a level playing field for Newfoundland and Labrador’s investors and businesses and reduce the risks associated with investing abroad. This would lead to greater two-way investment, which would help create jobs and long-term prosperity for hard-working Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Government procurement

• Workers in Newfoundland and Labrador and the rest of Canada employed in fields such as engineering, architecture and technology could benefit from greater access to the EU’s procurement market, which is worth an estimated $2.4 trillion.
• Greater access to the world’s largest procurement market would benefit workers and their families in sectors that are vital to Newfoundland and Labrador’s economy.