Auckland – In Auckland, New Zealand, Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, concluded her participation in the seventh Commission meeting of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) hosted by New Zealand.
Minister Ng and her CPTPP partners welcomed the United Kingdom as the newest member of the agreement. As Canada’s third-largest single-country trading partner for goods and services, the U.K. is one of Canada’s closest partners. The UK will be the first country to accede to the CPTPP since it came into force and, as a result, the agreement will represent 14.6% of global GDP and provide access to nearly 590 million consumers.
During the Commission meeting, Minister Ng and CPTPP partners discussed growing inclusive, rules-based and sustainable trade, and how benefits of the CPTPP will grow with the UK’s accession. Minister Ng highlighted the benefits that the CPTPP is already providing for Canadian businesses, farmers, exporters and workers. Canadian exports to new markets through the CPTPP have increased by nearly 35.8% since 2018, reaching more than $24 billion in 2022. A year after the CPTPP came into effect, 135,000 jobs were created by firms that saw their exports to the new CPTPP markets grow by 25% or more.
Minster Ng also attended the Inclusive Trade Action Group (ITAG) meeting, where she and Canada’s ITAG partners committed to working together to expand inclusive trade and ensure the benefits of trade are more widely shared. At the meeting, ITAG members endorsed the new Tāmaki Makaurau Joint Declaration on Sustainable and Inclusive Trade. Minister Ng also announced that Canada has completed its ITAG Three-Year Review report and emphasized that there have been sustainable development and inclusive trade benefits for Canada since joining the CPTPP.
On the margins of the CPTPP meeting, Minister Ng also participated in the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) ministerial meeting. During the meeting, Minister Ng emphasized that she was pleased with the constructive discussions that have taken place as part of the DEPA Accession Working Group for Canada and noted Canada’s readiness to meet the standards of this forward-looking agreement.
During her time in Auckland, Minister Ng also held bilateral meetings with counterparts from Australia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam, to discuss ongoing and potential areas of bilateral cooperation. Canada thanks New Zealand for its role as Chair of the CPTPP Commission in 2023 and looks forward to chairing the Commission in 2024. Canada will work with its CPTPP partners to continue to bring more like-minded countries into the agreement for the benefit of people and workers.
“As we grow trade with key markets across the Indo-Pacific and around the world, we increase opportunities for our Canadian businesses and workers. Through the CPTPP, we expand trade and investment opportunities that are rules-based, inclusive and high-standard to create good jobs and strengthen our economies.” – Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development