Bill C-24 · 40th Parliament · Stephen Harper
Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
An Act to implement the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the Republic of Peru, the Agreement on the Environment between Canada and the Republic of Peru and the Agreement on Labour Cooperation between Canada and the Republic of Peru
Government bill. Became law.
- IntroducedMarch 26, 2009
- Debated in principleApril 23, 2009
- Studied by a committeeDone
- Passed its first chamberJune 3, 2009
- Passed the second chamberJune 16, 2009
- Became lawJune 18, 2009
Leading supporters
Ranked by the part each played: who is responsible for the bill, who carried it, and who spoke for it most.
- Stephen HarperPrime Minister
- A. Raynell AndreychukSenate · Sponsor in the Senate
- Gerald Keddypraises the agreement as advancing trade liberalization and global commerce strategy
- Ron Cannanpraises the agreement for helping Peruvian and Canadian businesses after committee review.
- Paul SzaboEmphasizes opportunities from relationships with other countries rather than rejecting the deal.
- Jean-Claude D'Amourscalls the free trade agreement important for economic development and market diversification
- Wayne Easterstates the bill is extremely important to Canada's agriculture sector
- Scott BrisonHe affirms the value of free trade with Peru for jobs and prosperity while opposing protectionism.
Who carries this bill
Arrows run from the person responsible to those who answer to them on this bill. The critic leads the Senate’s scrutiny and answers to no one on it.
What it set out to do
The Library of Parliament does not prepare Legislative Summaries for bills that implement treaties, conventions, agreements or administrative arrangements bills. The following is a short summary: On 26 March 2009, The Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway introduced Bill C-24, An Act to implement the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the Republic of Peru, the Agreement on the Environment between Canada and the Republic of Peru and the Agreement on Labour Cooperation between Canada and the Republic of Peru (Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act.) in the House of Commons and it was given first reading. Bill C-24 implements a free trade agreement between Canada and Peru that was signed in May 2008. Among other things, it: • eliminates tariffs, reduces of non-tariff barriers between the two countries • includes management provisions dealing with sanitary and phytosanitary issues; • provides trade and investment opportunities for, among others, the agricultural and agri-food sectors, natural resources and information and communications technology (ICT); • creates market access for Canadian service providers in areas such as financi…
Summary by the Library of Parliament.
Where members stand
That the Bill be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on International Trade. · 2009-04-23 · Passed
How it changed on the way
64% of the text as introduced was changed or removed by the time it became law (12,689 words introduced, 10,376 passed). A committee amended it.
substantial changeintent mostly kept
The act passed with one notable amendment to the consent requirement for causes of action. The requirement for Attorney General consent was expanded to require it in writing and include reasons.
- Added requirement for written consent and reasons in causes of action provision.
Before: “without the consent of the Attorney General of Canada,”
After: “without the consent in writing of the Attorney General of Canada, including the reasons why consent was given,”
How precisely it is written
mixedChallenging the law: HardDisputing a charge: Moderate
The bill mixes exact definitions, dates, article references and arithmetic rounding rules with subjective phrases and open-ended powers. This produces pockets of clarity alongside terms that invite debate over scope and application.
Open to argument
“pay its appropriate share of the aggregate of any expenditures”
Uses an undefined comparative standard rather than a fixed formula or percentage.“take any other measure that the Governor in Council considers necessary for that purpose”
Delegates power on the basis of the executive's own opinion without objective limits.“the Tribunal is satisfied that it contains or is accompanied by the information required”
Makes application turn on an administrative body's subjective assessment.“an important cause that is no less important than any other cause”
Employs a relative importance test that requires case-by-case weighing without numerical or categorical criteria.
Clear-cut
“If a reduction under subsection (3) or (4) results in a specific rate of customs duty that includes a fraction of one tenth of a cent, the rate shall be rounded down to the nearest one tenth of a cent.”
Supplies a mechanical arithmetic rule that eliminates interpretive discretion.“signed on May 29, 2008”
Fixes the treaty reference to a single calendar date and article numbers.
Discretion. Broad authority is left to the Governor in Council and ministers to issue orders and regulations whenever they consider them necessary to implement the agreements or to determine Canada's share of joint costs.
Challenging the law itself. The Act implements an international agreement through defined amendments and does not directly limit Charter-protected expression, liberty or equality in a manner that readily supports a vagueness or overbreadth claim.
Disputing a charge under it. Provisions using 'principal cause', 'appropriate share' and 'considers necessary' allow factual and interpretive disputes over whether conduct meets the statutory threshold.
Read by a language model from the royal assent text; every quoted phrase appears in the bill. A reading of the drafting, not legal advice.
Did it work?
effective
The Canada-Peru FTA, implemented in 2009, achieved its core objectives of expanding bilateral trade and investment, as evidenced by a 2024 Global Affairs Canada evaluation showing more than doubled merchandise trade and sevenfold growth in Canadian direct investment in Peru, with an estimated 8.6% annual acceleration in trade growth attributable to the agreement (cumulative $5.5 billion extra trade). No statutory reviews, Auditor General or PBO audits, or court rulings were identified, and side agreements on labour and environment include review provisions but lack public evaluation reports.
- Economic Impact of the Canada–Peru Free Trade Agreement, 15th Anniversary (Global Affairs Canada, Office of the Chief Economist)evaluationThe CPFTA accelerated bilateral merchandise trade growth by 8.6% annually, resulting in $5.5 billion in cumulative additional trade from 2009-2023, while Canadian FDI in Peru grew more than sevenfold to $15.6 billion by 2023.
Who lobbied on it
No lobbying registration naming this bill is loaded.
Stages and dates from LEGISinfo.