Trudeau says Canada ‘will not be rushed’ into signing renewed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal

Despite the eagerness of some trading partners, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is in no hurry to sign a revised Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) this week at the APEC summit in Vietnam.

“Let me remind everyone Canada will not be rushed into a deal that is not in the best interest of Canada and Canadians. I have always been very clear that I will stand up for Canadian jobs, for Canadian values, that’s exactly what we will do here,” he told reporters at a joint news conference with Vietnamese prime minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc after an official state visit.

Trudeau’s comments Wednesday leave open the possibility Canada could sit on the sidelines while other countries put pen to paper on a new deal.

Trade ministers, including Canada’s François-Philippe Champagne, are meeting in Da Nang, the site of the APEC meeting, to hammer out a revised deal before national leaders descend on the resort town later this week. Some TPP partners hope to have something signed by the weekend, with reports suggesting renewed talks are now in the “final stretch.”

Liberal government sources have sought to tamp down such optimism, something that was affirmed publicly by the prime minister as he spoke to reporters Wednesday.