Deeper trade with the European Union will bring good jobs, economic growth and greater long-term prosperity to workers and businesses in key sectors of British Columbia.

This historic agreement with the European Union is a big win for workers, businesses and families right here in British Columbia. Throughout the province, hard-working people of B.C. will benefit, especially in key sectors of our local economy.

In addition to tariff elimination, the Canada-European Union Trade Agreement (CETA) provides improved access to European markets for Canadian goods and services, greater certainty, transparency and protection for investments, and new opportunities in EU procurement markets.

CETA is an historic, 21st century, gold-standard agreement that is the foundation of the most ambitious trade expansion plan in our nation’s history. It is an agreement that will bring benefits to a wide range of sectors in every region of the country and is clear proof of our government’s commitment to opening new, large and dynamic markets to our exporters, workers and businesses.

An earlier joint study concluded that CETA could bring a 20-percent boost in bilateral trade and a $12-billion annual increase to Canada’s economy. That is the equivalent of adding $1,000 to the average Canadian household’s income or 80,000 new jobs to the Canadian economy.

The EU is Canada’s second-largest trading partner and the world’s largest integrated economy, with more than 500 million consumers and a GDP of $17 trillion. CETA is by far, Canada’s most ambitious trade initiative, broader and deeper in scope than the historic North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Benefits of the Canada-EU trade agreement for British Columbia can be found online at goo.gl/miEvxr.

David Wilks is the Member of Parliament for the Kootenay Columbia riding. He can be reached at 613-995-7246 or by email at david.wilks@parl.gc.ca.