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Canadians grinned with relief when the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement was signed Oct. 30. (Francois Lenoir\/Reuters)<\/p>\n
Criticism\u00a0of the deal also persists.<\/p>\n
Greenpeace campaigners dressed like Mounties were working EU\u00a0hallways last week handing out lollipops to deliver their message that “CETA sucks.”<\/p>\n
\n\nWe’re in the European Parliament giving MEPs a sweet reminder to vote no to #CETA<\/a>! pic.twitter.com\/h1IpaoZBGj<\/a><\/p>\n\u2014
\n @GreenpeaceEU<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\nIf a majority of the 751 legislators vote against CETA, the deal fails. It won’t\u00a0matter that all 28 member states (eventually, in Belgium’s case<\/a>) gave it their blessing for signature last fall<\/a>.<\/p>\nCould that happen?<\/p>\n
The debate in several\u00a0European Parliament committees offered\u00a0a mixed preview.<\/p>\n
The employment and social affairs committee recommended against ratifying in December.<\/p>\n
The environment, public health and food safety committee voted in favour of ratifying a few weeks later.<\/a><\/p>\nThe trade committee’s blessing<\/a>\u00a0on Jan. 24 paved the way for Wednesday’s plenary vote.<\/p>\nSocialists and Democrats key<\/h2>\n
The largest political group in the European Parliament, the European People’s Party (217 seats), supports CETA.<\/p>\n
\n\nThere’s more at stake than just trade #CETA<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/SjjJtZyJhS<\/a><\/p>\n\u2014
\n @EPPGroup<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\nThe third- and fourth-largest blocs, the European Conservatives and Reformists and Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, are also expected to vote in favour.<\/p>\n
\n\n.@Europarl_EN<\/a> will be voting on #CETA<\/a> this week. #tradeforjobs<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/C69POzaBNl<\/a><\/p>\n\u2014
\n @ecrgroup<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\nOn the other side, Green MEPs as well as far-right nationalist MEPs (think Nigel\u00a0Farage, Marine Le Pen) are expected to oppose.<\/p>\n
\n\n3.5 million citizens said no to #CETA<\/a> on @eci_ttip<\/a>.
Read our letter to @JustinTrudeau<\/a> on why we’ll say the same: https:\/\/t.co\/Xehrt3B3IC<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/1qhSJtpG3f<\/a><\/p>\n\u2014
\n @GreensEP<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\nThat leaves\u00a0the second-largest bloc, the 189 votes of the Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (SD) as the key\u00a0swing voters. Some are under\u00a0pressure from socialist allies and\u00a0trade unions\u00a0in their respective countries to vote against.<\/p>\n
The group met late Tuesday and about 65 per cent of the MEPs in the room voted in favour of CETA, suggesting a similar split outcome in tomorrow’s plenary.<\/p>\n
After a long, “intellectually rich” debate,\u00a0CETA\u00a0advocate and Romanian MEP Sorin Moisa said this split was\u00a0slightly better than he was expecting.<\/p>\n
“CETA\u00a0is an important step, whether they vote for it or not, in creating a more progressive trade policy,” he said.<\/p>\n
Trudeau praises Freeland’s ‘backyard diplomacy’<\/strong>1:42<\/p>\nMoisa believes Canada’s commitment to\u00a0improve\u00a0the investor court provisions<\/a>\u00a0and conduct an early review of the enforceability of the deal’s sanctions on labour and environment helped win over skeptics.<\/p>\nSo did a strong desire to signal empathy and solidarity with Canada in the face of President Donald Trump’s aggressive protectionism in\u00a0the U.S.<\/p>\n
“The trend he represents is different from the trend represented by CETA,” Moisa said.<\/p>\n
CETA bill clears Commons<\/h2>\n
If Wednesday’s vote succeeds, Canada and the EU have agreed to provisionally apply over 90 per cent of the deal within months \u2014 the parts deemed entirely\u00a0within the EU’s legal jurisdiction.<\/p>\n
The rest waits<\/a> for ratification votes in individual countries.<\/p>\nCanada’s implementation bill, C-30, passed\u00a0at third reading on\u00a0Tuesday afternoon. It now proceeds to the Senate.<\/p>\n
Bill C-30 makes legal and regulatory changes to bring Canada into compliance with CETA.<\/p>\n
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International Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne is on his way to Strasbourg to represent Canada as the European Parliament votes on CETA ratification. (Jeff McIntosh\/Canadian Press)<\/p>\n
Canada’s provinces and territories\u00a0\u2014 Quebec in particular\u00a0\u2014 also must\u00a0change laws and regulations to comply.\u00a0None have signalled they won’t co-operate.<\/p>\n
Provisional application takes effect\u00a0after an exchange of diplomatic notes to say these processes are\u00a0complete. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Most of the advantages Canadian businesses could enjoy from CETA \u2014 tariff elimination, market access, government procurement opportunities and harmonized regulations \u2014\u00a0kick in with provisional application.<\/p>\n
The deal could be\u00a0in force provisionally for years if full ratification proves difficult.<\/p>\n
Activists targeting future votes<\/h2>\n
Fresh images from Washington Monday<\/a> of\u00a0Trudeau\u00a0and Trump smiling and shaking hands became\u00a0fodder for critics\u00a0who fear\u00a0CETA\u00a0gives U.S. corporations a back door into Europe through Canadian subsidiaries.<\/p>\n\n\nHappy valentine’s day Trump Trudeau, your passion for bad trade deals like #CETA<\/a> is everlasting. Please leave us out of your relationship! pic.twitter.com\/X2F0VMpqvc<\/a><\/p>\n\u2014
\n @eci_ttip<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\nSocial media Tuesday showed anti-CETA\u00a0groups\u00a0mobilizing for\u00a0yet another protest<\/a> on the streets outside the vote.<\/p>\nMaude Barlow from the Council of Canadians\u00a0tells CBC News she won’t be among them, despite her organization’s continuing\u00a0campaign.<\/p>\n
“It is going to pass,” she wrote, “but not by the kind of margin it should, given the time it has taken to negotiate and all the effort that has gone into promoting it by the powers that be.<\/p>\n
“Really it should be a landslide for them and it won’t.”<\/p>\n
\n\nH-3 avant l’arriv\u00e9e \u00e0 Strasbourg ! Cette ann\u00e9e on c\u00e9l\u00e8bre la #SaintValentin<\/a> en t\u00eate \u00e0 t\u00eate avec le #CETA<\/a> #MakeLoveNotCETA<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/CC2GPj1mow<\/a><\/p>\n