OTTAWA–Industry Minister James Moore’s office intervened to cancel a $420,000 contract for outside advice on trade negotiations and the manufacturing sector, less than 24 hours after the request for proposals was initially posted.

The request for proposals was issued Monday morning, indicating Industry Canada needed external contractors to advise the department on trade negotiations with Japan, Korea and other Pacific nations, specifically relating to the automotive manufacturing sector.

But a spokesman for Moore said Monday evening that the request was not approved by the minister’s office and would not proceed.

“There are more than enough civil servants with the expertise to provide this analysis,” Jake Enwright, Moore’s press secretary, told the Star by email.

“This contract is being cancelled.”

Ottawa initially planned to spend as much as $420,000 over three years to identify “risks and opportunities” facing the struggling Canadian manufacturing sector in free trade negotiations with Korea, economic partnership talks with Japan, and broader Trans-Pacific Partnership discussions.

In the request for proposals, Industry Canada noted the Pacific countries have a particular interest in the automotive manufacturing sector, including mass transit imports and exports. The consultants would have been asked to find a way to turn that interest to Canada’s advantage.

New Democrat trade critic and MP Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway) said he found it “shocking” the Conservatives would appeal for external help so late in the game — particularly when an agreement on the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) with the European Union had been reached.

“We’re dealing with one of the sophisticated manufacturing economies in the world, and they’re seeking advice now? At this point?” Davies said Monday. “Frankly, I’m a little flabbergasted . . . . They’ve put haste over competence repeatedly throughout the handling of this file.”

Industry Canada planned to use the external advice to augment their in-house work, and to guide future trade negotiations.

“The expert advice sought through this contract will complement the work of Government of Canada officials, providing access to a full range of perspectives and insights into best negotiating practices going forward in international trade discussions,” the request for proposals reads.

The now cancelled call for external help came as employment in Canada’s manufacturing industry declined. According to recently released figures from Statistic Canada, the manufacturing industry lost approximately 41,600 jobs across the country in 2013, a decline of 2.3 per cent. The industry’s slump helped drag down employment gains in the Canadian economy, which added just 102,000 jobs — 0.6 per cent— over the past year.

Trade has long been a centerpiece for the Conservative government’s economic platform, which has in turn been the centerpiece of their electoral platform. In year-end interviews with several media outlets, Prime Minister Stephen Harper lauded the recent free trade deal with the European Union.

“I think everybody who’s a serious analyst recognizes it’s overwhelmingly in the best interest of the country even though if a couple of sectors would have preferred somewhat different outcomes,” Harper told Global News in December.

Jim Stanford, an economist with Unifor, said the union has “major concerns” about what a free trade deal with Korea would have on Canada’s automotive industry. Accusing the federal Conservatives of having an “ideological predisposition” toward free trade, Stanford said he does not expect the trade deals will help the domestic industry.

“(The European Union, Japan, and Korea) have all followed an export-led strategy. In Canada, we don’t have any home-grown auto makers. We depend wholly on foreign companies coming here and setting up their plants, and those plants are based entirely on serving a North American market, not a global market,” Stanford said.

“There’s virtually no upside to our industry here. There’s virtually no way we could expect Canadian auto sales to grow to Korea, to Japan, and to Europe . . . . All three of those jurisdictions have huge sales into Canada.”

In a prepared statement, a spokesman for International Trade Minister Ed Fast said the government remains committed to increasing trade in the Asia Pacific region.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

“As always, Canada will only sign agreements that reflect Canadians’ best interests,” Rudy Husney wrote in an email.

The decision to cancel the consulting contract departs from a larger trend under the Conservatives to rely on private sector advice, rather than the public service.

The Star reported in December that the reliance on private contractors for government work has sharply increased since the Conservatives’ election victory in 2006, with spending on external professional services jumping from $7.8 billion that year to more than $10 billion a year over the past four fiscal years. Over the past seven fiscal years, the Conservatives have spent a total of $67 billion on outside help.