( HIROKO MASUIKE / NYT )Donald Trump’s decision to effectively kill the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade and investment pact is, on balance, good news for Canada. Theoretically, the other parties to the arrangement — Canada, Japan, Mexico, Vietnam, Malaysia, Chile, Peru, Brunei, New Zealand, Singapore and Australia — could override that provision and go ahead minus the U.S. It was only when Ottawa realized that the TPP might supplant the North American Free Trade Agreement that Canada became alarmed. Upon assuming government in 2015, Justin Trudeau’s Liberals signalled that they favoured free trade in principle. And he has reminded us again that while economists and experts may worship at the altar of free trade, many voters, including those who elected this crafty demagogue, do not.

Source: thestar November 22, 2016 21:30 UTC