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OTTAWA — A leaders’ summit and signing ceremony for Canada’s free trade agreement with Europe, scheduled for next week, will be cancelled if the European Union can’t convince the Belgian region of Wallonia to sign on by Friday — leaving the deal Ottawa has laboured over for seven years in limbo.

Proponents of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement were holding their breath as European trade ministers were expected to finalize support for CETA Tuesday.

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Canadian officials were hoping for a done deal, to be signed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Brussels next week and with implementation to begin next year.

CETA’s supporters say it will increase bilateral trade by 20 per cent and boost the EU economy by 12 billion euros ($17.2 billion).

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But Belgian politics intervened. Last week, Wallonia, a French-speaking region (population: 3.6 million) voted against CETA, largely over concerns its farmers would be adversely affected.