The Senate has passed a bill implementing Canada and Ukraine’s latest free trade agreement, paving the way for it to become law.
Conservatives withhold support for trade deal over reference to carbon price
The Senate has passed a bill implementing Canada and Ukraine’s latest free trade agreement, paving the way for it to become law.
The bill passed without the support of a single Conservative senator, similar to how Conservative Leader Pierre Poièvre and other MPs voted in the House of Commons.
Conservatives say they voted against the bill because their trade agreements require both countries to promote a carbon price.
Longtime Manitoba MP James Bezan said a future Conservative government would renegotiate the agreement to remove any reference to carbon prices.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has repeatedly accused Conservatives of abandoning Ukraine and following in the footsteps of some U.S. Republicans who tried to block aid to Ukraine.
Trade Minister Mary Ng said the updated deal was needed to help Ukraine rebuild from the war that has been ongoing since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
