CETA: NL premier reconsidering support of massive trade deal

Premier Paul Davis cast Newfoundland and Labrador’s support for a European free trade deal in doubt over an escalating fishery dispute with the federal government.

Davis said he’ll reconsider backing the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) if Ottawa insists on adding what he said are new conditions to a promised fishery fund for his province.

And he said he would take his growing frustration directly to Prime Minister Stephen Harper during a face-to-face chat in Ottawa this week...

Just one problem: Harper will be in Montreal for the funeral of Montreal Canadiens great Jean Beliveau on Dec. 10...

Officials are now working on an alternate time...

At issue is a $400-million fishery transition fund touted as an unprecedented injection for an iconic but struggling industry when it was announced in October 2013 by then-premier Kathy Dunderdale.

At the time, she said $280 million would come from Ottawa to pay for marketing and research, and to support displaced workers, with the province covering the remaining $120 million.

The cash was in exchange for giving up, as part of CETA, minimum processing rules meant to protect fish plant workers, she said...

Davis said Ottawa is trying to put a monetary value on those minimum processing requirements and limit its funding commitment to the province.

He said the federal government is now proposing to split funds of as much as $280 million among the Atlantic provinces...

It could be another two years before CETA is fully implemented as details and legal text are finalized...

This has been excerpted from the 10 December 2014 article by The Canadian Press.