By Matt Scuffham
TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada is working towards signing a new trade agreement with the European Union in October, its trade minister Chrystia Freeland told a conference in Toronto on Monday.
"We're working hard for it to be the year when CETA, the Canada-EU trade agreement, is signed. We're working towards signing in October and ratification early next year," she told the Toronto Global Forum.
"At a time when so much of the world is saying no to trade and saying no to the global economy, Canada is in a position to say yes," Freeland said.
Supporters of the deal, called the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), say it would increase trade between the EU and Canada on a range of products, boosting the EU economy by 12 billion euros (10 billion pounds).
However, it faces opposition from Austria and anti-globalisation groups and risks being caught up in a growing public backlash in the West against free trade and globalisation, which critics blame for factory closures, depressed wages and a widening gap between rich and poor.
"When you think about this protectionist environment, if we can get CETA done that will be incredibly valuable for Canada, a huge competitive advantage, and also it will be a very powerful message to the world," Freeland said.