The 12 member nations included in the Trans-Pacific Partnership will sign the trade deal next week, in what Canadian officials call a “technical step,” according to Reuters. While Canada will sign the trade pact, Canada’s Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland said this week the country’s government has not decided yet whether or not to formally ratify the agreement. The problem for Canada is that the former government negotiated the trade deal, representing a separate political party than what’s in office now. Trade Minister Freeland did say in an open letter that Canada needed to stay at the table, but added “signing does not equal ratifying.” Once all 12 nations have signed, each will then have two years to ratify the deal. Reuters reported last month that Canada was most likely to sign the trade deal, but would hold off on ratification until the country could judge possible resistance in the U.S. Congress that could stop the trade deal entirely.
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