Liberals, NDP decline PCO offer of confidential briefing on TPP trade deal

The Liberals and New Democrats have declinedan offer from the Privy Council Office to attend a confidential briefing just days before the federal election to learn more details of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, saying the meeting was offered at the "last minute" andwould still leave Canadians "in the dark."

Campaigning in Sherbrooke, Que.,Thursdaynight,NDP Leader Tom Mulcairsaid he refused because he would be forbidden by the government from revealing the details to voters.

"Every Canadians has the right to know what is in that trade deal beforeMonday," he said."And I call on Stephen Harper to release the full text of the TPP so Canadians can vote accordingly."

In an openletter released earlier in the day,Mulcairsaid he was asked to sign a confidentiality agreement before attending a briefing scheduled forFriday by senior bureaucratson the trade deal.

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Mulcairsaid Trade Minister Ed Fast broke a promise to makeall details of the accord publicahead of election day.

"Instead of openness and transparency, Canadians are learning details through leaked information and the government's own self-serving promotional efforts. That's not acceptable,"Mulcairsaid.

The Privy Council Office isthe department that provides non-partisan support to theprime minister and cabinet.The Conservative campaign told CBC News the government asked the PCO to offer the briefing to the opposition parties.

But in a separate letter released Thursday,Liberal candidate JohnMcCallumaccused Prime MinisterStephen Harperof continuing a "lack of transparency" over the deal's details.

"Despite a commitment by the minister of international trade, Mr. Ed Fast, to release the text of the agreement so all Canadians can judge it on its merits before election day, media reports this week state that the details will remain secret,"McCallumwrote.

"It is troubling that with just four days remaining until election day, you continue to refuse to release thetext of the agreement for Canadians to see."

McCallum noted that a previous briefing attended by party representatives on Oct. 4 "provided no actual details beyond the limited information already released publicly."

"It is simply not possible to conduct a meaningful, in-depth analysis of the 1,500-plus pageagreement in 90 minutes," he wrote.

Conservative campaign spokesman Kory Teneycketold CBC News the Liberals initially agreed to attend the Friday briefing, while the NDP declined. Teneycke said thebriefing was to bebased on the chapter summaries, since the final text doesnot exist yet.

A Liberal campaign spokesmanreferred CBC News toMcCallum's letter, but said any suggestion the party had accepted the offer of the briefing was false.

The massivetrade agreement, which was reached by representatives of the Canadian government and 11 other countries in the midst of thefederal election campaign, has emerged as a major campaign issue. The NDPimmediately vowedto scrap the accord if elected to form a government, while Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has said he wants to learn more about the deal.

Despite his concerns about the offer of the briefing, the Liberals'McCallumstressed in his letter the TPP "stands to remove trade barriers, widely expand free trade for Canada, andincrease opportunities for our middle class."