Robin Speer serves as Executive Director of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association. 

Robin discussed with West Central Online some of the fallout that producers may see, from the recent news that the United States plans to withdraw from the Trans Pacific Partnership. Speer said that the deal was set to be a huge boon and open up new markets for producers in the region, and without any of the deal salvaged, those new markets will remain untapped. Speer notes that the federal Liberal government in Canada still has an opportunity to try and salvage some of the deal, or work out new free trade agreements with some or all of the countries previously listed on the TPP. 

Robin's initial thoughts on the fallout.

The countries that all had previously agreed to the deal was Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam. The 12 countries involved have a collective population of about 800 million - almost double that of the European Union's single market. The 12-nation would-be bloc is already responsible for 40% of world trade. The deal was seen as a remarkable achievement given the very different approaches and standards within the member countries, including environmental protection, workers' rights and regulatory coherence - not to mention the special protections that some countries have for certain industries.

The TPP was a controversial deal to say the least, receiving a massive range of support to outright disdain from a variety of groups. 

For a link to the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, click here.