Trans-Pacific Partnership concerns voiced at UNB town hall

As a town hall on the Trans-Pacific Partnership wrapped up at the University of New Brunswick on Wednesday afternoon, an audience member asked the crowd to give a show of hands on who wants the trade deal ratified and who doesn't.

In the crowd of about 70 people, the majority raised their hand against the deal, a free trade pact between Canada and 11 other countries, including the United States, Australia and Japan.

Liberal MP David Lametti, the parliamentary secretary for international trade, travelled to the province for the town hall. It's part of the federal government's cross-Canada consultations on the TPP.

Lametti said the reception to the deal is vastly different from one end of the country to the other.

"If I did this in Regina, virtually everybody in this room would be for the agreement. So there are people for it, there are people against it," said Lametti.

"We're trying to listen to everybody."

Alex Bailey, president of the Fredericton District Labour Council, raised his hand against the deal.

He said he worries the massive free trade zone would force companies to cut jobs and the dairy industry would be "regulated out of existance."

"I do not see this deal in the interest of Canadian workers," said Bailey.

Signed but not ratified

The federal government signed the TPP deal in February, at which point it entered into a two-year ratification period.

Lametti made it clear the government isn't for or against the deal.

"We've definitely not taken a position on the TPP," said Lametti.

"It might create economic opportunities for a large number of businesses and therefore create a large number of jobs ... It might create challenges for other sectors that would be negatively affected by the trade agreement."

Sally McGrath, a UNB PhD student in classics and anthropology, said the dangers of the deal outweigh any benefits.

"Food safety is my biggest concern," said McGrath.

"The food is going to be coming from countries that do not grow food or do not produce animal foods under the same conditions we do."

Referendum on TPP?

As Lemetti was speaking, an audience member yelled out that there should be a referendum on the TPP.

Lametti said he was open to the idea.

It's fear of the unknown- Karen Ludwig, MP for New Brunswick Southwest

"Sometimes referendums are a useful way to poll Canadians ... but at this stage I don't think we need that in order to make a decision on this," he said.

New Brunswick Southwest Liberal MP Karen Ludwig, who is a member of the House of Commons's international trade committee, said there's suspicion around the deal because it was negotiated without transparency by the former government.

"It's fear of the unknown."

"I think we need to do a much better job of communicating the elements of the deal."

Ludwig will be travelling across Canada with the trade committee to hear from Canadians on the deal, starting with the Western provinces in April.

No commitment on dairy compensation

The Harper government promised a $4.3-billion compensation package to dairy farmers to counter any negative impacts of the TPP.

The Trudeau government has not committed a dollar amount on a compensation deal.

"We're going to first of a wait and see if we ratify the agreement," said Lametti.

"And if we do make a decision to ratify, then we will sit down with those groups."

The trade deal would give TPP countries access to 3.25 per cent of Canada's annual dairy production.

Reint-Jan Dykstra, a New Brunswick-based dairy farmer and vice-president of Dairy Farmers of Canada, said from his meetings with the federal government, he feels there would be fair compensation.