Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
National

Canada Well-Positioned To Handle Turmoil Over NAFTA Talks: Finance Minister

The Canadian Press, 06 Mar, 2018 01:00 PM
    VANCOUVER — A strong economy is allowing Canadian officials to push for a better deal in negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement, Finance Minister Bill Morneau said Tuesday.
     
     
    Talks on the deal are "critically important" but Canada will remain firm in getting the best possible agreement, he told the Business Council of British Columbia.
     
     
    "Are there challenges? Yes. Do we need to be prepared to deal with them? Yes. We think that having our economy in the best possible position is the place from which we can do that, make decisions in a measured way, considering all the facts at hand," he said.
     
     
    The government's latest budget included measures to expand trade around the world, particularly in Asia, and the financial plan is fiscally responsible, which means Canada can hold out for a better deal on NAFTA, Morneau added.
     
     
     
     
    "We are going to continue to put forth why we don't agree with some ideas that were put forth on the table by the United States. We've been pretty firm in that approach. We think that Canadians support us, that getting to a better deal is the way we should address this," he said.
     
     
    Challenges to the economy come from within Canada, too, Morneau said, including the ongoing battle over the future of Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline expansion between the Edmonton area and Metro Vancouver.
     
     
    "I'll acknowledge that the current challenged between B.C. and Alberta is one of those frustrating things that happen in a democracy, but we need to deal with it," he said.
     
     
    The government is overhauling the approval process for similar projects, Morneau said, adding the key to finding a solution is giving potential interveners an opportunity to voice their views as early as possible and implementing timelines that will give businesses certainty.
     
     
    "What we can say is that the previous process wasn't working," Morneau said.
     
     
    The finance minister also lauded investments his government made in science, research and gender equality in last week's budget, but acknowledged the promises come with large price tags.
     
     
     
     
    The financial plan forecast continued deficits, breaking a campaign promise the Liberals made in 2015 to return to balanced budgets by the end of the party's mandate.
     
     
    Morneau said the investments have put the country in a better fiscal position than it was on election day, and he won't get "fussed on the exact numbers," but the position will continue to improve.
     
     
    "You start adding it up and you say these are investments in the future of Canada. And we think they're prudent and appropriate. We also know that we can do them from a position of strength while continuing to be fiscally responsible," he said.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Canada 150 Saw Record Number Of International Tourists: Statistics Canada

    OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says international tourism set an annual record during Canada 150 last year, with 20.8 million trips of one or more nights.

    Canada 150 Saw Record Number Of International Tourists: Statistics Canada

    Commercial Airplane Incidents, Accidents Jump In 2017, Safety Board Says

    A national pilots association is raising alarm bells over new accident numbers showing a year-over-year jump in incidents involving commercial airliners.

    Commercial Airplane Incidents, Accidents Jump In 2017, Safety Board Says

    Case Of Man Accused In Murder Of Halifax Yoga Instructor Back In Court

    Case Of Man Accused In Murder Of Halifax Yoga Instructor Back In Court
    The case of a Halifax man charged with the second-degree murder of a Montreal-born yoga instructor was back in court Tuesday.

    Case Of Man Accused In Murder Of Halifax Yoga Instructor Back In Court

    Toddler Breaks Leg After Boot Sucked Into Escalator At Vancouver Airport

    Toddler Breaks Leg After Boot Sucked Into Escalator At Vancouver Airport
    A Calgary woman is reminding parents about the dangers of escalators after her toddler's foot became stuck in one and he broke his leg.

    Toddler Breaks Leg After Boot Sucked Into Escalator At Vancouver Airport

    Alberta Shrugs Off B.C. Legal Challenge On Wine Ban, Says Much More At Stake

    Alberta Shrugs Off B.C. Legal Challenge On Wine Ban, Says Much More At Stake
    Alberta's economic development minister is shrugging off a legal challenge filed by British Columbia over Alberta's ban on wine from that province.

    Alberta Shrugs Off B.C. Legal Challenge On Wine Ban, Says Much More At Stake

    Sikh Kirpan Ban In Quebec Legislature Upheld By Top Provincial Court

    Superior Court Justice Pierre Journet affirmed the authority of the legislature to "exclude kirpans from its precincts as an assertion of parliamentary privilege over the exclusion of strangers."

    Sikh Kirpan Ban In Quebec Legislature Upheld By Top Provincial Court