OTTAWA -- The federal New Democrats say that if elected to govern, they won't feel bound to honour a landmark international trade pact the Conservatives could sign on to this week.
The scathing letter from NDP Leader Tom Mulcair to International Trade Minister Ed Fast also says the government has "no mandate" to negotiate the final details of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal that includes 12 Pacific Rim countries.
"An NDP government will not consider itself bound to any agreement signed by your Conservative government during this federal election," Mulcair writes in the letter sent Friday to Fast.
Mulcair writes in the letter that the Tories forfeited any rights to sign the agreement the day the election was called.
He says the Tories should have consulted with the other parties under a constitutional convention that an incumbent government only act as a caretaker during elections and not tie the hands of the next government, if another party were to win.
Mulcair writes that his party would never agree to follow through an a deal that would effect domestic protections for Canada's dairy industry, known as supply management, that Mulcair says "is a lifeline that helps many rural communities thrive." Likewise, he writes that his party would reject the agreement if it hurt Canada's auto sector, or loosened patent and copyright laws that could affect the price of generic drugs.
"These changes will impact millions of Canadians every day. Your Conservative government has not consulted Canadians on any of them, and you have no mandate to trade them away," Mulcair writes.
"Your government forfeited a mandate to conclude negotiations on a major international trade agreement the day the election was called."
Negotiators are closing in on a major 12-country trade agreement after clearing a logjam on automobiles, with the possibility of a deal being announced as early as Saturday.
The parties to the deal, including Fast, are in Atlanta trying to hammer out an agreement that the Tories say would give Canadian companies access to a group of countries that makes up 40 per cent of the global economy. That type of agreement could be an electoral boon for the Tories with just 17 days before voting day.
But there are concerns that in return Canada would have to peel back market protections for dairy products and the automotive industry that could cost domestic jobs. The agreement would likely allow significantly more car parts from cheaper foreign suppliers than under the North American Free Trade Agreement, but would be more multi-layered than the old NAFTA standard.
Fast told Canadian reporters in Atlanta on Friday that he was optimistic issues could be solved.
"We are making good progress in trying to conclude those negotiations," Fast said.
"There's still some work left to be done. But we're optimistic that issue can be solved and we'll have an outcome that will support our Canadian auto sector and ensure its long-term viability in Canada."
