TPP can't wait for Canada's October election, says Key   3 Aug 2015

Article - BusinessDesk

TPP can't wait for Canada's October election, says Key


By Pattrick Smellie

Aug. 3 (BusinessDesk) - The conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations needs to occur before the Oct. 19 Canadian federal elections, says Prime Minister John Key, who is tipping the likelihood a further negotiating round "in the next two or three weeks" after last week's talks in Hawaii failed to land agreement on the contentious trade and investment pact.

"There is a finite window, I think, where if you can't complete the deal in that time, it becomes more difficult for the United States and others," said Key at his weekly post-Cabinet press conference. "You can't rule out ... intense negotiations and another meeting in the next two to three weeks."

Asked whether TPP had the luxury of waiting until after the Canadian elections, Key said: "No. I don't think so."

The fear among governments pushing the controversial TPP trade and investment pact is that if negotiations drift towards Christmas, TPP will be abandoned by the US as domestic political focus intensifies on next year's presidential elections. TPP is deeply opposed in the US, where workers and businesses fear job losses from opening up the American economy to competition in numerous areas, meaning momentum on unfinished talks is unlikely to be maintained in the run-up to a late 2016 presidential poll.

Canada faces a similar dilemma to the US, but with less capacity to influence the overall timing than the US. Prime Minister Stephen Harper faces strong political pressure from the heavily-subsidised Canadian dairy industry to keep protective barriers up against imports from dairy-producing countries like the US, New Zealand and Australia and is reluctant to cut a deal that could lose him support in the run-up to the Oct. 19 poll.

The weakness of the undisclosed deal on the table for dairy access was one of the reasons talks last week in Hawaii failed, when negotiators had been hoping it could bring the deal to a landing.

Involving 12 Pacific Rim countries, TPP covers not only a very wide range of goods and services, but seeks to impose a modernised set of investment rules in the region, in part because the US is seeking to reassert leadership in Asia-Pacific to counter the growing influence of China.

"In the end, there is only a window of opportunity which runs out in not too far away from now really for President Obama to get this done," said Key. "So I'm not sure you're going to have the luxury of saying you can wait till you're another year down the track because you're right in the middle of the US presidential nominations and the election, Australia's got an election next year. There's just never a perfect time when you're dealing with 12 countries."

The executive director of the New Zealand International Business Forum, Stephen Jacobi, wrote in the TPP Unwrapped blog today that "if negotiators and ministers can get together soon – hopefully before the end of the month – the momentum can be maintained and any backsliding from what was agreed in Maui can be prevented.

"The longer it takes to re-engage, the harder it becomes," he said. "The Canadian election ... is a complicating factor. Leaving the re-engagement until APEC until November would not be a good sign."

The Maui talks' failure gave New Zealanders "an opportunity to put more pressure on the government not to sign away our sovereignty," Labour Party leader Andrew Little. “New Zealand land, dairy and medicines are up for grabs in these negotiations. There has to be some meaningful gains for us in this."

(BusinessDesk)

Add a comment

News

Hilary Timmins' Award-Winning UK Documentary Series To Inspire NZ Students

29 Jun 2020 Education
Dream Catchers, produced and directed by Hilary Timmins, celebrates the success stories of more than thirty inspirational New... more

New Zealand reaffirms support for Flight MH17 judicial process

7 Mar 2020 News By Rt HON WINSTON PETERS
Ahead of the start of the criminal trial in the Netherlands on 9 March, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has reaffirmed the need to... more

Business

NZ Government's Economic package to fight COVID-19

17 Mar 2020 Business News By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
The Coalition Government has launched the most significant peace-time economic plan in modern New Zealand history to cushion the... more

NZ Government announces aviation relief package

19 Mar 2020 Business News By Hon Phil Twyford
Transport Minister Phil Twyford today outlined the first tranche of the $600 million aviation sector relief package announced earlier... more

Living

Diversity was Key at New Zealand Trade Tasting in London

6 Jun 2022 Food & Wine
New Zealand Winegrowers Annual Trade Tasting was recently held in London, on Wednesday 4 May, in Lindley Hall. It was the first... more

Kiwi author stuns Behind the Butterfly Gate

12 Jan 2022 Arts By Charlotte Everett
Hidden behind the Butterfly Gate is where the secret has been kept for 76 years...  New Zealand writer Merryn Corcoran’s... more

Property

Fairer rules for tenants and landlords

17 Nov 2019 Property By Minister Kris Faafoi
17 NOVEMBER 2019 The Government has delivered on its promise to the over one million New Zealanders who now rent to make it fairer... more

New Zealand Government will not implement a Capital Gains Tax

17 Apr 2019 Property By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
The Coalition Government will not proceed with the Tax Working Group’s recommendation for a capital gains tax, Jacinda Ardern... more

Migration

Boosting border security with electronic travel authority – now over 500,000 issued

19 Nov 2019 Migration By Hon Iain Lees-Galloway
19 NOVEMBER 2019 We’ve improved border security with the NZeTA, New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority, which helps us to... more

Christchurch reinstated as refugee settlement location

18 Aug 2018 Migration
18 AUGUST 2018 HON IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY The announcement that Christchurch can once again be a settlement location for refugees... more

Travel

Gallipoli Anzac Day services cancelled

19 Mar 2020 Travel & Tourism By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
The New Zealand and Australian Governments have announced this year’s joint Anzac Day services at Gallipoli will be cancelled... more

New Zealanders advised not to travel overseas

19 Mar 2020 Travel & Tourism
New Zealanders advised not to travel overseas more

Sport

The Skipper's Diary: Sir Richard Hadlee honouring his father and NZ's Forty-Niners

27 Oct 2019 Cricket By Charlotte Everett
NZNewsUK London Editor Charlotte Everett spoke to Sir Richard Hadlee about why he’s chosen to publish his father’s... more

PREVIEW: All Blacks v England semi-final

26 Oct 2019 Rugby
The two most convincing quarterfinals winners are set to square off in a semifinal showdown for the ages when the All Blacks meet old... more

Columns

Gordon Campbell on the Gareth Morgan crusade

11 Nov 2016 Opinion
Gordon Campbell on the Gareth Morgan crusade First published on Werewolf The ghastly likes of Marine Le Pen in France and Geert ... more

Gordon Campbell on the US election outcome

10 Nov 2016 Opinion
Column - Gordon Campbell   Gordon Campbell on the US election outcome Well um.. on the bright side, there (probably)... more

Kiwi Success

Congratulations to Loder Cup winner

26 Sep 2018 People By Hon Eugenie Sage
25 SEPTEMBER 2018 The Loder Cup, one of New Zealand’s oldest conservation awards, has been awarded to Robert McGowan for 2018... more

Appointments to New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO

16 Aug 2018 Appointments
16 AUGUST 2018Appointments to New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO HON JENNY SALESA Associate Education Minister Jenny Salesa is... more

Recruitment

Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers

14 Aug 2018 Recruitment By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
14 AUGUST 2018Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers RT HON JACINDA ARDERN HON CHRIS HIPKINS Prime Minister The... more

Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers

22 Aug 2018 Recruitment By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
14 AUGUST 2018Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers RT HON JACINDA ARDERN HON CHRIS HIPKINS Prime Minister The... more