Canadian prime minister heads to Peru, Colombia

OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper heads to Peru and Colombia on a two-day visit beginning tomorrow to bolster trade with Latin America and beyond.
Harper last traveled to Peru in 2008 for an APEC leaders summit, but this will be his first state visit, during which he will meet with President Ollanta Humala and his cabinet.
Since a Canada-Peru free trade agreement took effect in August 2009, bilateral trade, largely in agricultural products, machinery, metals and mineral ores, has doubled to Can$ 4.2 billion ($ 4.1 billion).
Harper is expected to consult with Humala on bilateral and regional trade possibilities through the emerging Pacific Alliance, before he later meets with the group.
The two are set to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a proposed free trade agreement between Australia, Brunie, Chile, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam. Japan has also expressed interest but is not yet a full negotiating partner.
Harper will also attend a leaders’ summit hosted by the Pacific Alliance, comprised of Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico, in Cali, Colombia, on Thursday.
Bilateral trade between Canada and the four countries totaled Can$ 39 billion (US$ 38 billion) last year. Canada became an observer to the alliance in October and Harper is seeking to use the summit to bolster Canadian cooperation with the group.
“Canada is committed to increasing trade with the Americas to create economic opportunities for Canadians and people throughout the hemisphere,” the prime minister said in a statement.
His spokesman Andrew MacDougall noted this would be Harper’s first opportunity to participate in the forum and “see what it has to offer.”
The alliance, formed in 2011, is still in its infancy and hammering out objectives.
MacDougall stressed that Canada has “very strong relationships with all four of the founding countries and with many of the observer countries.”
In addition, Canada’s “participation in the meetings is important because it reinforces our strong and growing commercial engagement in both the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region,” he added.
Canada is also engaged in trade negotiations with Chile, Mexico and Peru through the Trans-Pacific Partnership that aims to bolster trade between Asia and the Americas.
Closed-door talks on the TPP are set to be held in Lima until Friday. But Harper will not join those discussions.