The Canada–Honduras Free Trade Agreement is a free trade agreement between Canada and Honduras which entered into force on 1 October 2014.[1] From 2000-2010, Canada was in multilateral negotiations with Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua (collectively the Central American Four or CA4) on a proposed Canada–Central American Four Free Trade Agreement. When no agreement was reached between Canada and the CA4 after twelve rounds of negotiation, Canada and Honduras began separate bilateral negotiations in 2010.
| Signed | 5 November 2013 |
|---|---|
| Effective | 1 October 2014 |
| Parties |
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's visit to the city of San Pedro Sula to sign the ceremonial initial agreement in 2011 was the first time a foreign leader had visited Honduras since the 2009 coup d'état.[2] Harper was criticized for engaging in negotiations with the government of Honduran President Pepe Lobo, with observers in Canada saying the country under Lobo is "an impoverished quasi-dictatorship"[3] and criticizing Canada's lack of response to human rights concerns in the country.[2]
The final agreement was signed by the trade ministers of both countries, along with side cooperation agreements on environmental protection and labour rights, on 5 November 2013.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Background Information". Canada-Honduras Free Trade Agreement. Global Affairs Canada. 13 March 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
- ^ a b Gordon, Todd (16 August 2011). "Canada backs profits, not human rights, in Honduras". Toronto Star. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
- ^ Stanford, Jim (20 May 2012). "The troubling truth about free trade". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
Ottawa trumpets its latest free-trade pact (with Honduras) as evidence of a commitment to trade. Honduras is an impoverished quasi-dictatorship where journalists are routinely assassinated. Canada sells less than $50-million a year there (while importing four times as much). We export more to the United States in 88 minutes than to Honduras in a year – yet as we ink this blockbuster deal with Honduras, we close trade offices in the United States.