A New Bilateral Free Trade Agreement for Canada?
In his first bilateral meeting at the 2011 Deauville Summit, Prime Minister Stephen Harper met with Naoto Kan – Prime Minister of Japan. Harper and Kan discussed a free trade deal that could produce gains – namely, reduced trade barriers – for the agriculture, natural resources, and manufacturing sectors. The two countries have agreed to launch a joint study to determine whether an economic partnership would be mutually beneficial to both countries. Last year, Canada’s exports to Japan totaled approximately $9.2 billion. Moving forward, Harper will meet with David Cameron and Barack Obama, among others.