International Trade

Opening remarks

Good morning. I thank the members of the committee for inviting me here today. The Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance, or CAFTA, is a coalition of national organizations that advocate for a more open and fair international trade environment for the agriculture and agri-food sector. CAFTA members include farmers, ranchers, processors, producers and exporters from major trade sectors such as beef, pork, cereals, oilseeds, sugar, pulses, plant sciences and soybeans. In Canada, the agri-food sector accounts for one in nine jobs, and most of those jobs are export-related. Every year, Canada exports some $100 billion in agriculture and food products. Over half of our agricultural production is exported or processed for export. In addition, over 90% of Canadian farmers depend on trade. CAFTA welcomed the signing of this CEPA, and we encourage this committee to report favourably and recommend swift ratification. Indonesia represents one of the fastest-growing markets in Southeast Asia, and for Canada's agri-food exporters, this CEPA has the potential to open new doors in a dynamic country that values reliable suppliers of safe, high-quality food. CAFTA has long advocated for trade…

Opening remarks

Thanks very much. It's great to be back at committee. I appreciate this. I'm a researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. I'm going to represent my views in that capacity. We have about 40-plus years of analyzing free trade and investment treaties at the CCPA, so I'm going to draw from some of the research we've done on the CEPA and other treaties. As you've heard before at this committee, the Indonesia free trade agreement is unlikely to result in a ton of new two-way trade. In fact, I would say it could easily get in the way of some positive job-boosting industrial strategies in both countries. I'll mention that in a second. The CEPA establishes top-shelf investment protections while backtracking on human rights, labour rights and environmental protection in recent trade agreements. One of the most concerning aspects of the CEPA, from our perspective, is its investor-state dispute settlement process, of the kind denounced by governments, lawyers and civil society groups globally for interfering with the achievement of human rights and climate policy. Investment treaties and trade deals with ISDS generally do not do what governments say they're going to do.…

Opening remarks

Thank you, Madam Chair and members of the committee, for the opportunity to appear today. My name is Jorge Correa of the Canadian Meat Council or CMC, the voice of Canada's federally licensed meat industry. I am joined by my colleague Claire Citeau. She's in Singapore right now, at the Canada-in-Asia Conference. CMC is the largest component of the food processing sector, with over $32 billion in annual sales and nearly 300,000 jobs across the country. Our members process more than 90% of Canada's meat, supplying Canadian families and over 90 export markets with safe, high-quality protein. The Canadian Meat Council supports the Canada-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, or CEPA, as a significant step toward growing Canadian meat exports to the large, fast-growing Indo-Pacific market. This agreement will enhance our industry's competitiveness and open new avenues for expansion. Indonesia, with its population of 279 million and GDP of nearly $1.9 trillion, offers significant potential for Canadian meat exporters. All our major competitors in the meat sector around the world have viable access today. CMC has worked closely with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada…

Opening remarks

Thank you, Madam Chair. I thank the committee for inviting me today. I'm here representing Canada's soybean industry. Soy Canada includes seed developers, farmers, exporters and processors, and we grow soybeans all the way from the Atlantic to the Rockies. It is Canada's third most valuable crop. We exported about 3.7 billion dollars' worth of soybeans, soy meal and soy oil in 2024. We produce world-leading, food-grade soybeans in Canada to make things like tempeh, tofu and soy milk, as well as commodity soybeans that are crushed to make meal to feed animals and oil for humans and biofuels. With more than 70% of what we produce here in Canada exported, our industry really values the opportunity to improve market access through trade agreements like the Canada-Indonesia agreement. Before I describe why Canada and Indonesian trade is important, I’d like to share a bit about the region and why the whole region is also important for us. From a soybean perspective, the Indo-Pacific is the beating heart of global demand. If you take ASEAN as a region, as an example, they import approximately 9 billion dollars' worth of soybeans into the ASEAN countries. We export about $500 million…

Opening remarks

Yes. It's important to ensure that the agreement is renewed. Our main goal is to ensure that the current terms and measures, which enable us to trade largely tariff‑free with the United States and Mexico, remain intact. We're working closely and engaging in discussions with the negotiators, the government and our Mexican colleagues. We're also making regular visits to Washington.