Chrystia Freeland signs Trans-Pacific Partnership deal in New Zealand

International Trade Minister Chrystia FreelandsignedtheTrans-Pacific Partnership trade dealin a ceremony in New Zealand today.

After signing the agreement, Freeland told reporters that Canada'sparticipationin the Asia Pacific economy was very important and reassured her counterparts from the other 11 countries that Canada's new government was pro-trade.

"We are in a unique position because we were not in government when the TPP was negotiated," Freeland said."Our commitment during the election was to state very firmly that we are a party that believes in trade, and a government that believesstrongly in free trade."

• Canada will sign TPP trade deal Feb. 4, but ratification not certain
• North American foreign ministers adopt new tone ahead of Quebec City meeting
• Canadian automotive sector hollowing out, despite record sales

Ministers fromthe 12 Pacific Rim countries met at Auckland's Sky City Casinoon Thursday morning, local time. The signingceremony kicks off a two-year ratification period, during which the United States, Japan and at least four of the remaining 10countries must approve the final legal textin order for the deal to take effect.

FreelandsaidCanada's approval process will begin with broad consultations on the agreement, which willinclude discussions with First Nations,prior toratification.

"Those consultations in Canada very much will include aboriginal communities, they are a very important part of the national discussion," Freeland said."We are committed to a full parliamentary committee study and a full parliamentary debate ahead of ratification."

A vigorous political debate in the two largest economies, the U.S. and Japan, combined with elections in both countries in 2016, make it far from certainthat the two playersin the driver's seat fornegotiationswill even ratify the deal.

In Canada's case, lastOctober's election signalled a shift from the enthusiastic cheerleading Stephen Harper's Conservatives did for the deal, to a cautious,listeningprocess onJustin Trudeau'swatch.

'Big difference'

Freeland speaksof having already done "more than 70 consultations, meetings and roundtables on the TPP." Her parliamentary secretary and other ministerial colleagues have done more than 200, she said Wednesday.

She's also asked the House of Commons and Senate trade committeesto conduct a comprehensive study of the deal and report back before an implementation bill is introduced.

"There is a big differencebetween signingand ratifying," the minister said.

Trudeau'sgovernment may prefer to wait out the ratification debate elsewherebefore putting too much of its own weight behind a deal closely associated with the previous Conservative government's economic strategy.

Should the deal fail to be ratified by enough countries before the deadline, there may be political advantages for the Liberals in holdingback.

Freeland refused last week to answer questions about whether the ongoing consultations could yetshape the contents of the already-negotiated deal, saying it was "not very wise to answer hypotheticals."

Asked whether there was reason to feel skeptical about the value of consulting ona done deal, Freeland said Wednesday that "it's important for us as a country to discuss and understand its many implications."

She hedged when asked ifthere'san economic study proving TPP's benefits:"It's a big job and we are working on it."

"In all honesty, we don't know the results of those consultations," NDP trade critic Tracey Ramsey said on Parliament Hill."This deal doesn't have an economic impact study attached to it."

"If this deal's not good for Canadians, then why are we there signing?"

'Grand PR exercise?'

While the signing is a "very important moment," it's "only a first step," Freelandsaid.

As politically useful as it may be to portray the parliamentary voteas more significant, that's nothow international treaties work, notes an academic who studiesthe constitutional powers of different branches of government.

When it comes toratification,Parliament is "a political arm, and not a legal one," the University of Ottawa's PhilippeLagass told CBC News. "I think there's a legitimate critique of saying 'are the consultations merely a grand PR exercise?'"

First the deal is signed by a minister of the Crown, thenimplementing legislation to change domestic law must pass to demonstrate that the deal is binding, which might include changing both provincial and federal laws.

Finally, it's cabinet's job, not Parliament's, to ratify.

"The difficulty is that it's [already]been negotiated," Lagass said. "I'm just worried that it's going to give a false impression that somehow you're in a position after you sign to renegotiate.

"If it is a take it or leave it situation ...what role will the House play in scrutinizing this?" he said, noting that it will be interesting to see if there'sa free vote or if Liberalswith concerns are free to break rank.

Scrub complete in 3 languages

Freelandtook her time confirming her attendance. Her department hadn't been forthcoming with details about the signing ceremony.

• ChrystiaFreelandwon't commit yet to Feb. 4 TPP signing

It's not clear what the consequences would have been if she didn't go,Lagasssaid.

"If you perceive yourself as one of the main beneficiaries of this treaty, then you don't want to be seen as a party that's holding it up," he said.

"There are ...privileges thatoriginal signatoriesto the dealhave. And that is why we believethat it is very much in Canada'snational interest to be here at the signing," the minister told reporters Wednesday.

Farm groups eager to see tariffs cut or eliminated in key Asian markets like Japan were in Auckland to applaud the signing. Some 65% of Canada'sagri-foodexports go to TPP countries, and they warn of billion-dollar consequences if Canada doesn't ratify.

"Canadian agriculture has lived through this before with Korea, when a billion dollar market was cut in half virtually overnight as the U.S. had access and we didn't. We can't afford to see this happen again with TPP countries," said BrianInnes, the president of the CanadianAgri-FoodTrade Alliance in a release.

On the other hand, groups like OpenMedia, which opposes theintellectual property provisions, continueto pressure the government not to ratify.

TPP would "censor the Web, criminalize our online activities, and cost us money," digital rights expertMeghan Sali said in another release.

This week's talks will seethe 12 partners consider how and where to set up a permanent secretariat to overseethe deal and work through other remaining issues.

The final text has been legally scrubbed in English, French and Spanishandposted online byNew Zealand.

The twelve signatories are: Australia,Brunei, Canada,Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico,New Zealand, Peru, Singapore,United States and Vietnam.