Canada risks being sidelined in Pacific trade deal: USDA head

It's like the agreement with the EU, the milk industry are still angry about it. Anyway I hope mister Fast do whats best for the country and doesn't get influenced. The US has no rights to tell us what to do with Obama as their president and after what he did to Keystone Xl.

Japan should not join under any circumstances

I think that there are circumstances that Japan should and could join under. But, those are secret and I'm not tellin.

Gary

Why is the content of this agreement top secret. Even US congress members complain that they can only see one section at a time and cannot make notes. Japan should not join under any circumstances. Obviously, this is US neo-imperialism.

Canada is right.

“We’re going to negotiate an agreement that is in Canada’s best interests. That’s all I have to say.”** its much easier to negotiate the rules while your in the group. I say let Canada leave if she wants, Bilateral agreements with other countries will only leave your exports disadvantaged in terms of low tariffs compared to not being in the TPP. same goes for Japan as well.

Howard

You got that right. I'm a lunch pail Dem. Warren speaks for me here.

For an easy to absorb perspective of the TPP watch former Minister of Labor Robert Reich's video linked below. Lest anyone in Japan think all of the USA are in support of TPP. It seems the only people supporting and pushing the TPP are the higher ups in government and big corporations. I have not met one citizen form any country who supports it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O_Sbbeqfdw

I can see why there is a "fast track" to push this.

Go Canada. ù_ù

“You wonder whether there is sufficient time to complete that negotiation.”

There's nothing like time pressure to force your negotiating counterpart to swallow the unpalatable.

Don't get me wrong. I like Vilsack. But he is, on economic issues, a DNC, 'third-way," Conservadem.

IOW, Canada: Take Heed! Miss that Boat!

[as if I need to remind you...]

The obvious solution is just to put the sensitive issue of agriculture to one side for now and sign a free trade deal for the 99 % of all other goods. However, it seems like one particular country can't accept this because the only thing they have to export to the rest of the world is GMO crops, antibiotic beef and hormone laced milk.

Stuart haywardMay. 09, 2015 - 09:10AM JST Canada, like Japan, has been reluctant to put down a final offer in the talks, over concern U.S. lawmakers could pick apart agreements afterwards.

I agree, and it really is ridiculous. Imagine someone makes a deal with you to exchange a loaf of bread for a plate of sushi... then when you deliver sushi they suddenly say, "My bosses vetoed me giving you the whole loaf of bread, but you can have two slices of bread", then when you try to take back the sushi they say you can't because you agreed to the terms.

This is fundamentally the problem with doing business with the U.S. government, they retain the right to modify any agreement, but expect everyone else to keep up their side of the bargain. It is simply ridiculous, and the U.S. has done it with such monotonous regularity that it is no wonder that nobody wants to do business with the U.S. government. They don't pay on time, and when they do pay it is frequently less than agreed and with an arrogant "Take it or Leave it" attitude.

If the U.S. wasn't in this TPP it would have been finalised years ago.

Canada, like Japan, has been reluctant to put down a final offer in the talks, over concern U.S. lawmakers could pick apart agreements afterwards. Canada remains keen to shield its dairy industry.

Sounds no different from Japan, except the US isn't threatening Japan of being sidelined. I guess that's because the US knows Japan is only pretending to hold out.