XPost: can.politics, bc.politics, ont.politics   
   XPost: ab.politics, man.politics, sk.politics   
   From: ConsRCons@govt.cda   
      
   Let's see how this goes . . .   
      
   Harper signs onto a trade deal with the European Union.  The EU wants to   
   ship us more of their stuff, which is good for their economy.   
   Some of that stuff will hurt the production of Canadian stuff, which is   
   not good for the economy of those Canadian producers.   
      
   So the answer to the dilemma?  Get the taxpayers of Canada to compensate   
   the Canadian producers for the competition they are about to get from   
   the EU producers.   
      
   Helluva deal.   
      
   And we, the taxpayers, are supposed to be happy about 'Harper's biggest   
   ever trade deal' with the EU?   
      
   Sorta like being asked to like more taxes, isn't it?  And you can bet   
   your taxes that Quebec isn't the only province or industry that is going   
   to be demanding, or given, compensation for lost production - from us,   
   the taxpayers.   
      
   Helluva deal.   
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   CTV News - The Canadian Press,  Friday, October 18, 2013   
      
      
   EU free trade: last-minute cheese deal got Quebec on board   
      
      
   Quebec signed on to support the free trade deal with the European Union   
   only at the last minute and that is because the federal government   
   offered to compensate the province’s agricultural sector.   
      
   Former Premier Pierre-Marc Johnson, who served as Quebec’s chief   
   negotiator, said that he learned on Thanksgiving Monday that an   
   additional 17,700 tonnes of European cheese was going to be permitted   
   into the Canadian market.   
      
   “It was a holiday, people eating turkey sandwiches, when we heard the   
   17,700 figure. We immediately wondered: ‘Could that be right? Did they   
   accidentally add an extra zero?’”   
      
   Johnson concluded that the subtle announcement was no accident. “The   
   federal negotiations knew that we would not be happy," he said.   
      
   Johnson and Premier Pauline Marois then went on an offensive against the   
   federal government. Marois even discussed the issue with her Ontario   
   counterpart, Kathleen Wynne.   
      
   Federal negotiators said that they believed that the Canadian market   
   would be able to absorb the additional cheese.   
      
   “Our message to the federal negotiators was, ‘You say that the Canadian   
   market will probably be able to absorb that extra cheese but you’re not   
   sure, so then you must compensate us,’” said Johnson.   
      
   By Friday morning Prime Minister Stephen Harper gave the news from   
   Belgium that the feds would completely compensate the province for   
   losses suffered by the higher levels of imported cheese.   
      
   Johnson said the end result is a deal that the Quebec farmers’ lobby can   
   live with.   
      
   But their objections had been entirely legitimate, according to Johnson.   
      
   “Everybody knows that this agreement was aimed at benefiting   
   manufacturing and service sectors of the economy. It’s mostly aimed at   
   the non-agricultural sector, even though some changes will result,” he said.   
      
   Johnson noted that it will likely take up to two years before all the   
   parties involved give their final approvals but expressed the notion   
   that it would all advance without a hitch.   
      
   Read more:   
   http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/eu-free-trade-last-minute-cheese-deal   
   got-quebec-on-board-1.1504024#ixzz2iEAYnJgr   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)