MANILA (The Thursday Times) — Canada has concluded negotiations on free trade agreements with the Philippines and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Saturday, as he told reporters that talks with the United States were making progress but that Ottawa would not sign a deal that hurt its car industry.
Carney announced the two agreements in Manila, where he is attending the 49th ASEAN summit as a guest of the chair and held talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Both deals are expected to be signed in 2027, his office said.
Two Asian deals
The ASEAN-Canada agreement covers a bloc of almost 700 million people with an economy of close to $6 trillion. Once in force, it is expected to add nearly C$2 billion to Canada’s economy and create nearly 14,000 Canadian jobs, mainly in agriculture and manufacturing, the prime minister’s office said. Canada will also give C$5 million to help ASEAN members ratify the pact quickly.
The deal with the Philippines was concluded a year after the two countries said they would pursue one. Ottawa says it could triple Canadian exports to the Philippines by 2035, especially farm and forest products. The two leaders also agreed to step up defence and security cooperation, including closer ties between their armed forces and a new dialogue on cyber security.
Carney has said Canada must cut its reliance on a single trading partner after a long trade war with Washington under President Donald Trump.
‘Not settle’ on cars
Speaking at a news conference in Manila, Carney said he had held “quite a long, substantive conversation” with Trump this week, with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and White House chief of staff Stephen Miller also on the call.
“Lots of people think that we should just go and take whatever deal,” he said. “This government will not settle for a deal with the United States that is not consistent with a viable Canadian auto sector.”
He called the car industry “one of the most challenging issues” in the talks, but said, “we are making progress toward that.” Canada pulled out of negotiations with Washington three months ago, saying the US had made last-minute demands that included a hit to its auto sector.
Carney also criticised Stellantis after the carmaker agreed to sell its assembly plant in Brampton, Ontario, to a defence contractor. “We’re not satisfied in any way with the current situation and the partial approach that Stellantis has taken here,” he said, adding that the company had to keep its commitments to workers.
Photo with Putin
Carney said he would appear in the group photo with Russian President Vladimir Putin at next week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen. “Yes, I will participate in the photo out of respect for the host. We’re in Asia,” he said, adding that Canada’s opposition to Russia’s war in Ukraine was shown through its sanctions, not by boycotting a photograph.
Carney travels next to Phnom Penh for the Francophonie summit before heading to Shenzhen, where Trump is also expected for a planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin.
