Standing Committee on International Trade

Comité permanent du commerce international

For immediate release

Ottawa, June 22, 2016 -

As part of its public consultation in relation to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade is holding hearings in Atlantic provinces cities this October. The Committee’s primary objective is to hear the views of Canadians on this agreement.

The Committee started its cross-country outreach by holding hearings in Canada’s Western provinces in April and in Quebec and Ontario in May. During these meetings, it became evident that Canadians are very interested in the TPP agreement and want to share their input.

The Committee will hold meetings in Saint John, New-Brunswick, Charlottetown, Prince-Edward Island, Saint John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Halifax, Nova Scotia, in early October 2016. Further information regarding exact dates and locations will be published in September 2016.

Canadians who wish to appear as a witness can make their request at any time during the study. They should provide their name and contact information to the Clerk of the Committee at: ciit-tpp-ptp@parl.gc.ca. An invitation will be extended by the Clerk, on behalf of Committee members, to selected individuals and groups.

The meetings will be open to the public and a one-hour session will be held in each city for members of the public to speak to the Committee and present their views on the TPP. Members of the public who wish to speak must register on-site at least 45 minutes before the scheduled time of these one-hour sessions. The list of speakers will be determined on a first-come, first-served basis. The Committee Chair will decide how much time each speaker will be given based on the number of speakers.

Canadians who wish to provide a written submission in the context of the Committee’s TPP public consultation must do so before 23:59 EDT on October 31, 2016. Written submissions that exceed 10 pages must be accompanied by a summary of no more than 1,500 words. The Committee may decide to translate, distribute and/or publish only the summary.

More information on the process for providing a written submission can be found in the Guide for Submitting Briefs to House of Commons Committees. Written submissions should be emailed to: ciit-tpp-ptp@parl.gc.ca.