5 August 2009

Panama-Canada trade pact on the horizon

The following is excerpted from today's edition of “The Star”.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to announce a free trade deal with Panama next week when he meets with the right-wing supermarket magnate who won the presidency of the Central American country in May.

Signing the agreement with President Ricardo Martinelli will be the culmination of 10 months of negotiations between Canadian and Panamanian officials….

Two-way merchandise trade between Canada and Panama reached $149 million last year. ...

The deal with Panama continues one of the Harper government's foreign priorities – expanding Canada's ties with Latin America through increased aid and trade….

Canada has also negotiated a free trade deal with Colombia but the implementing legislation is bogged down in Parliament amid opposition concerns about human rights conditions in that country.