Canada and the European Union to ratify free trade agreement - Polidicks

[IMG]http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/archives/sunnews/politics/media/2013/10/20131018-080530-g.jpg[/IMG] [QUOTE]Canada and the European Union have agreed to free the movement of goods, services, investment and labour with a pact-in-principle that challenges Canadian business to expand overseas.[URL="http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/canada-europe-free-trade-deal-concluded-ratification-two-years-off-1.1502438"] [/URL]"This is a big deal; this is the biggest deal Canada has ever made. Indeed, it is a historical achievement," said Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The prime minister announced the agreement-in-principle Friday with European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso in Brussels.[/QUOTE] [URL]http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/canada-europe-free-trade-deal-concluded-ratification-two-years-off-1.1502438[/URL]

Maple syrup and Volkswagens for all!

free trade is best trade

[QUOTE=deltasquid;42567367]Maple syrup and Volkswagens for all![/QUOTE] You say that as a joke, but I'd be pretty okay with having both.

This is one of the few things I can agree with Harper on.

I'm Canadian, Just wanna let you know that we know Stephen Harper looks like a cock too.

well I hope maple syrup won't be so expensive now I wonder if they will also import American products via Canada, because currently poptarts cost £5 a box and American cereals around £7.

Canada 29th member. Euradian Union. Now Europe can import all the "sorry" they need.

Sorry to be the one token dissenting voice to globalist policies, but I'm inherently wary of these free trade agreements in a time where Canada is essentially becoming one of the most resource rich countries in the world, and yet we have one of the smallest and most sustainable population densities What of items and resources of value does Europe/America have that we'd want and need to have tariff-free? Well, not that much. What items and resources of value does Canada have that EU/America would want and need to have tariff free? [I]Fucking everything.[/I] Massive tracts of unspoiled lumber-grade forests, huge supplies of fresh, clean water, lots of oil. We're entering a period where clean water and oil are becoming some of the most valuable and important commodities, and we're just going to ship these non-renewable/slowly-renwable resources off to other countries without tariffs? Are people fucking insane? It's really not hard to see who's going to benefit most from these free trade agreements. Canada is getting a raw deal. We're wrecking our forests and draining our rivers and lakes to feed the gross overconsumption of other economic regions. Can nobody see the issue with that principle? Why are politicians so eager to sell off the huge quantities of sustainable resources Canada has tariff-free, why should we whore out our nearly immaculate and unspoiled country to eu/us for comparatively little in return to what the EU/US are gaining from the deal?

[QUOTE=hypno-toad;42568038]Sorry to be the one token dissenting voice to globalist policies, but I'm inherently wary of these free trade agreements in a time where Canada is essentially becoming one of the most resource rich countries in the world, and yet we have one of the smallest and most sustainable population densities What of items and resources of value does Europe/America have that we'd want and need to have tariff-free? Well, not that much. What items and resources of value does Canada have that EU/America would want and need to have tariff free? [I]Fucking everything.[/I] Massive tracts of unspoiled lumber-grade forests, huge supplies of fresh, clean water, lots of oil. We're entering a period where clean water and oil are becoming some of the most valuable and important commodities, and we're just going to ship these non-renewable/slowly-renwable resources off to other countries without tariffs? Are people fucking insane? It's really not hard to see who's going to benefit most from these free trade agreements. Canada is getting a raw deal. We're wrecking our forests and draining our rivers and lakes to feed the gross overconsumption of other economic regions. Can nobody see the issue with that principle? Why are politicians so eager to sell off the huge quantities of sustainable resources Canada has tariff-free, why should we whore out our nearly immaculate and unspoiled country to eu/us for comparatively little in return to what the EU/US are gaining from the deal?[/QUOTE] So little of our forest is actually lost due to logging, so much more is lost due to forest fire and insects, on top of that we replant a large amount of what we cut. Not to mention the country is literally half covered with forest. [URL]http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/statistics-facts/forests/897[/URL] Also where do you get the idea that they want to export our water? [editline]18th October 2013[/editline] We sell them logs, employ people to cut them down and to replant them. Creates Canadian jobs.

so basically this is a good way to make it more difficult for small business startups in Canada

[QUOTE=hypno-toad;42568038]Sorry to be the one token dissenting voice to globalist policies, but I'm inherently wary of these free trade agreements in a time where Canada is essentially becoming one of the most resource rich countries in the world, and yet we have one of the smallest and most sustainable population densities What of items and resources of value does Europe/America have that we'd want and need to have tariff-free? Well, not that much. What items and resources of value does Canada have that EU/America would want and need to have tariff free? [I]Fucking everything.[/I] Massive tracts of unspoiled lumber-grade forests, huge supplies of fresh, clean water, lots of oil. We're entering a period where clean water and oil are becoming some of the most valuable and important commodities, and we're just going to ship these non-renewable/slowly-renwable resources off to other countries without tariffs? Are people fucking insane? It's really not hard to see who's going to benefit most from these free trade agreements. Canada is getting a raw deal. We're wrecking our forests and draining our rivers and lakes to feed the gross overconsumption of other economic regions. Can nobody see the issue with that principle? Why are politicians so eager to sell off the huge quantities of sustainable resources Canada has tariff-free, why should we whore out our nearly immaculate and unspoiled country to eu/us for comparatively little in return to what the EU/US are gaining from the deal?[/QUOTE] This isn't the fault of free trade. Tariffs or no tariffs, those resources are still going to be exploited and are still going to be consumed. So what's the advantage you may cry? Well, perhaps if you looked up what Canada imported, you could find that. Going by Wikipedia, we have these: [URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Canada[/URL] [quote]machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, crude oil, chemicals, electricity, durable consumer goods[/quote] And by monetary value, Canada actually imports more than they export. Exports: [quote]$462.9 billion (2012 est.)[/quote] Imports: [quote]$474.8 billion (2012 est.)[/quote] Given that just over 9% of this trade is with the EU, a free trade agreement is still beneficial. In fact, in pretty much all cases, free trade is always beneficial to the countries involved. Tariffs simply enrich one country unjustly at the expense of another, and both of them in the long term.

[QUOTE=Emperorconor;42568229]Given that just over 9% of this trade is with the EU, a free trade agreement is still beneficial. In fact, in pretty much all cases, free trade is always beneficial to the countries involved. Tariffs simply enrich one country unjustly at the expense of another, and both of them in the long term.[/QUOTE] No sorry, this is incorrect. Try telling this to Mexican or Jamaican farmers. American crop subsidization and free trade agreements essentially destroyed their farmer's ability to compete. I'm not saying free trade won't benefit Canada, but it's not always good.

nice move Canada

[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;42568332]No sorry, this is incorrect. Try telling this to Mexican or Jamaican farmers. [b]American crop subsidization[/b] and free trade agreements essentially destroyed their farmer's ability to compete. I'm not saying free trade won't benefit Canada, but it's not always good.[/QUOTE] Once again, here is the problem. Free trade by itself does not cause that. In fact, subsidies are what you get rid of during free trade, because it creates an unfair advantage. These subsidies are to blame.

Not really, fair trade isn't really fair at all. How do you get rid of subsidies completely? Bides, a large multinational corp could easily just sell products at a loss, so that smaller competitors go bankrupt trying to compete. This is how standard oil came to be. [editline]18th October 2013[/editline] The thing is, a multinational corp is extremely hard to compete against.

[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;42569345]Not really, fair trade isn't really fair at all. How do you get rid of subsidies completely?[/quote] The government legislates not to subsidize something? It's not exactly hard. [quote]Bides, a large multinational corp could easily just sell products at a loss, so that smaller competitors go bankrupt trying to compete. This is how standard oil came to be. The thing is, a multinational corp is extremely hard to compete against.[/QUOTE] Right, and this is the fault of free trade how?