Prime Minister Stephen Harper attends a G8 and G20 business meeting in Gatineau, Que., on April 29, 2010.CHRIS WATTIE/Reuters
Canada's NAFTA-style free-trade negotiations with the European Union will be a major topic on Wednesday when Prime Minister Stephen Harper travels to Brussels for a Canada-EU summit.
The talks have so far received little attention, even though the government says it is working toward an arrangement with the EU's 27 members that will be broader than the North American free-trade agreement among Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Those negotiations took a surprising twist on Friday, when Trade Minister Peter Van Loan singled out Ontario in a speech to a Toronto business audience, urging those in attendance to press the McGuinty government to support an "ambitious" deal.
Provinces are at the negotiating table for the first time in history on an international trade pact, and the Europeans oppose Ontario's green energy procurement policies because they give preference to local companies. A spokesman for Ontario Trade Minister Sandra Pupatello bristled at Mr. Van Loan's remarks, saying "pressure tactics" are not appreciated.
In an interview, Mr. Van Loan said that overall, the negotiations are moving along very well.
"It will be a deeper and broader agreement than even the North American free-trade agreement," said Mr. Van Loan, who will join the Prime Minister at the summit.
The Canada-EU meeting is Mr. Harper's first stop in a week-long tour of Europe. He will also take part in 65th anniversary ceremonies marking Canada's participation in the liberation of the Netherlands on May 5, 1945.
The role of Canadian troops and the fact that the city of Ottawa took in Dutch Princess Juliana and her two daughters during the war - a third was born in Ottawa - has led to a strong bond between the two countries.
Mr. Harper will also visit Croatia and Germany.
The Harper government has made the expansion of free-trade agreements a priority, and estimates an EU deal would boost the Canadian economy by $12-billion a year. Critics say the discussions should be more transparent.
European and Canadian negotiators are wrapping up a third round of talks in Ottawa and a fourth is planned for July in Brussels. A fifth and final round will take place in Canada in October.