Prime Minister Harper was all smiles last week as he basked in the glow of the European spotlight, far away from prying eyes in Ottawa.
Mr. Harper shared the stage with his continental counterparts as he announced CETA, a tentative free trade agreement between Canada and the European Union.
As the PM enjoys European hospitality during what could be his farewell tour, he appears to be working on some sort of legacy.
As an economist his legacy will be nothing, if not measurable. The prime minister would be very satisfied if some day his accomplishments were calculated in dollars.
This deal, if ratified by all stakeholders, could mean billions, even trillions, for all Canadians, or so he says.
Of course it is important to remember based on past free trade experience (NAFTA is 20 years old) when he says “all” he really means “some.”
Some Canadians would definitely benefit from unfettered access to half a billion Euro-consumers and the European Union’s $17 trillion market.
Some are already rubbing their hands in anticipation of a promised 80,000 jobs and a $12 billion boost to our own economy.
Mr. Harper says it will take two years to ratify this deal, which means the Conservatives can start doling out the Euro-goodies in 2015 around election time.
That’s wishful thinking when you consider the logistics.
This agreement must be translated into 24 languages and ratified by 28 countries plus all Canadian provinces and territories.
That’s a tall order. I’m trying to think back to a time when all Canadian provinces and territories agreed about anything.
Still, nobody is anticipating any difficulties in this process. Nobody ever does. What could possibly go wrong?
Mr. Harper is hopeful his new deal will be very good for Canada and very lucrative for a select few, if not all, Canadians.
As an economist he seems very pleased with his success on the international stage.
He is living proof if you hang around long enough, eventually you become a senior statesman.
As a Canadian politician he wouldn’t object if all this Euro-babble distracted us from his troubles at home.
Maybe he can buy us off with cheese.
If CETA is ever fully implemented, 65,000 tonnes of Euro-cheese will flood Canadian grocery shelves.
That’s great for those who buy the occasional chunk of brie or a small bag of those cute, red mini-goudas but if you’re like me, you already have enough cheese.
Harper wants to send Canadian meat, natural resources and technology to our Euro-friends in exchange for what looks like a whole lot of cheese.
And possibly some Euro-wine to go with it, something not too pretentious and reasonably priced.
Of course, I’m not an economist like the prime minister so all this talk about millions and billions doesn’t really impress me much.
I think we could use our precious resources more wisely than trading for wine and cheese and a few more Euros to spend.
Mr. Harper’s peers and cronies applaud him for this accomplishment but it will be years before we see any real results or suffer any unintended consequences.
In the meantime he is taking a bold stance and has made his position clear to both supporters and detractors.
“This is a historic win for Canada,” he proudly states.
“Anyone who opposes it will lose and will make a big historic mistake.”
Not so fast Mr. Prime Minister. Nobody likes a sore winner.
And besides, it remains to be seen who wins and who loses.
The trouble with the rat race is, even if you win you’re still a rat.
