Quebec has signed a new trade agreement with Vermont, hoping to strengthen the partnership between the province and state.
Quebec is that state's biggest international partner, with trade jumping nearly 40 per cent since 2010. In the past year alone, trade between Quebec and Vermont reached nearly $4.8 billion.
The new agreement, signed Tuesday, focuses on manufacturing, research and development, technology and agriculture. It will provide the support to companies interested in doing business in the neighbouring jurisdiction.
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard said the deal will boost local economies. Couillard said Vermont is not simply a place for Quebecers to shop, but that the trade deal is focused on economic development, not just in manufacturing and agriculture but also in biosciences, energy, green technology, IT and software development.
Agriculture, however, is top-of-mind due to the recently signed Trans-Pacific Partnership deal that, if ratified, will now allow more U.S. dairy products into Quebec.
The deal is raising concerns in part due to growth hormones that are permitted in the U.S. dairy production process and are banned in Canada.
Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, who was in Montreal for the announcement Tuesday, spoke to the issue of food labelling.
“We strongly support labelling of consumer products that are consumed,” he said. “So, you know, I'm not the federal government but I'm here to tell you that Vermont milk is the best milk you can drink. That we think if Quebec folks could drink Vermont milk, they would be very happy and that it would be a good relationship for all of us going forward. It also makes great cheese.”
Shumlin said the vast majority of Vermont dairy farmers do not use a growth hormone in the production process and that essentially trade agreement is mutually beneficial because it will help on both sides of the border.
