Manitoba pork producers welcomed the news that Bill C-79, the implementing legislation for the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), received Royal Assent in the Parliament of Canada.
“Manitoba pork producers are extremely grateful to everyone who had a hand in advancing Bill C-79’s progress through the House of Commons and the Senate,” said Manitoba Pork Chair George Matheson. “Thanks especially go to the tireless efforts of Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and Minister of International Trade Diversification Jim Carr. Canada is closer to being one of the first six signatories to the agreement, meaning our producers will benefit from immediate tariff reductions on fresh chilled pork.”
Global Affairs Canada has projected that Canadian pork exports to Japan alone will increase by $639 million following the implementation of the CPTPP. Manitoba is already a major Canadian supplier to Far East markets, and the value to our province of increasing exports could be more than $300 million over the next three to four years. Manitoba pork producers will have the potential to expand their operations, creating more jobs and bringing more revenue into the provincial coffers, while continuing to ensure that future generations will also have what they need to thrive. About 13,000 Manitobans currently depend on the pork sector for their livelihood. Increasing exports could eventually raise that number to 16,000.
The news of the CPTPP ratification came on the same day that Minister Freeland met in Winnipeg with officials from Manitoba Pork, Manitoba Beef Producers, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, the Canola Council of Canada, the Manitoba Canola Growers and the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the details of the CPTPP with Minister Freeland and congratulate the federal government on the USMCA progress.
