The Western Canadian Wheat Growers are calling on the Federal Government to immediately ratify the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Jim Wickett (of Rosetown) is Chair of the Wheat Growers and says there’s a definite benefit to signing early.

“The first six countries that do ratify it get some additional market access. So, there are some definite, huge advantages, especially for someone like us that does as much trading in the world as Canada does especially Western Canadian farmers.   If we’re going to sign this thing anyway, let’s get on, let’s get it over with, and let’s get all the advantages we can out of the agreement.”

The C-P-T-P-P deal will come into effect 60 days after the first six countries ratify the agreement, but only for those six countries.

The C-P-T-P-P Agreement includes not only Canada but Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.

Wickett says the Federal Government did the hard work in hammering out an agreement so let’s get it ratified and in place:

“We went through a pretty extended period of time where there wasn’t that many major trade irritants. Now we’re back into what a lot of us remember in the 90’s where everything was a trade barrier of some kind and that affected prices.”

He notes the agreement between the eleven countries will open the door to a trading market of 500 million people.