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Notice of Intent to Conduct an Environmental Assessment of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement

Closing date:  January 30, 2013

On October 9, 2012, the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, regional minister for British Columbia, on behalf of the Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, announced that Canada has formally joined the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade negotiations. (see News Release: Canada Formally Joins Trans-Pacific Partnership). 

Opening new markets and increasing Canadian exports to fast-growing markets throughout the Asia-Pacific region is a key part of our government’s plan to create jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. The TPP membership, now including Canada and Mexico, represents a market of 658 million people and a GDP of $20.5 trillion, with the potential to grow further with the entry of additional countries in the future.

The Government of Canada is committed to sustainable development. Mutually supportive trade, investment and environmental policies can contribute to this objective. To this end, the Minister of International Trade has directed negotiators to seek information and otherwise improve their understanding of, the relationship between trade and environmental issues at the earliest stages of decision making, and to do this through an open and inclusive process. Environmental assessments of trade negotiations are critical to this work.

The Government of Canada is conducting an Environmental Assessment (EA) to inform these free trade negotiations. All interested parties are invited to provide comments on any likely and significant environmental impacts which this prospective Free Trade Agreement (FTA) may have on Canada.

This process is guided by the 2001 Framework for Conducting Environmental Assessments of Trade Negotiations and direction from the 2010 Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan, and Program Proposals.

For more information, please visit:

All interested parties are invited to submit their views on any likely and significant environmental impacts on Canada resulting from the prospective Trans-Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement by January 30, 2013.

Contributions can be sent by e-mail, fax or mail to:

Environmental Assessment Consultations – Canada-TPP Trade Negotiations
Trade Agreements and NAFTA Secretariat (TAS)
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, Lester B. Pearson Building
125 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0G2
Fax: 613-992-9392
E-mail: EAconsultationsEE@international.gc.ca