Albertans will see benefits from TPP deal: economist

Albertans could benefit greatly from the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal Canada signed onto Tuesday.

Economist Trevor Tombe, Associate Professor at the University of Calgary, said Western Canada’s trade with TPP countries is much higher than the rest of the country and accounts for two to three per cent of GDP.

Tombe said it could be big for some sectors, including industries looking to gain a foothold in any of the other 10 countries involved in the deal.

“Japan’s tariff is 39 per cent, so they pay a 39 per cent tax on any beef that we export out. That’s going to fall dramatically to about nine per cent eventually once it’s fully phased in,” he said.

He said Albertan consumers might also notice cheaper imports.

The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association is already calling the deal “fantastic.”