The Liberal Party of Canada sent the following letter to the Prime Minister today on the Trans-Pacific Partnership

The Liberal Party of Canada supports free trade as this is how we open markets to Canadian goods and services, grow Canadian businesses, and create good-paying Canadian jobs. We know that exporting industries pay wages that are 50 percent higher than non-export industries.The Trans-Pacific Partnership stands to remove trade barriers, widely expand free trade for Canada, and increase opportunities for our middle class.As we have said repeatedly, Liberals will take a responsible approach to thoroughly examining the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Unfortunately, you have failed to be transparent through the entirety of the negotiations – especially in regards to what Canada is conceding in order to be accepted into this partnership.

Your lack of transparency continues to this day. Despite a commitment by the Minister of International Trade, Mr. Ed Fast, to release the text of the agreement so all Canadians can judge it on its merits before Election Day, media reports this week state that the details will remain secret.

It is troubling that with just four days remaining until Election Day, you continue to refuse to release the text of the agreement for Canadians to see.

Even more troubling is the fact that, today, Liberal Party of Canada staff received a last-minute invitation for a secretive, incomplete briefing on the proposed TPP agreement.

One can only assume that the meeting was hastily arranged at your request, given that the meeting invitation itself, received at 1:00 p.m. ET today, did not even include a date for the meeting. Only on seeking clarification did we learn that the proposed meeting is to take place tomorrow morning in Ottawa.

Your proposed briefing is clearly a political ploy and raises several concerns: