Canada, Philippines conclude negotiations for free-trade agreement, aiming for 2027

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Prime Minister Mark Carney has arrived in the Philippines for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.

MANILA - Canada and the Philippines have concluded talks for a free-trade agreement, which is expected to be formally signed next year.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Manila at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.

The two leaders are overseeing the signing of a document that formally ends negotiations for the Philippines-Canada Free Trade Agreement, which had started just over a year ago.

Last October Carney rebooted trade talks with the Philippines, which Ottawa first started formally exploring in 2015.

During consultations, corporations were broadly supportive of the deal to increase trade, but civil society raised concerns about the Philippines’ track record on the environment, labour and human rights.

Canada is also pursuing a broader trade agreement with the ASEAN bloc, which includes the Philippines and 10 other countries such as Thailand.

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