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•Th e IFP• H alton H ills, Thursday, M arch 27, 2014 7 GEORGETOWN'S Best Kept Secret! 46 Armstrong Ave www.MiskasWoodProducts.com Casings Baseboards Crown Mouldings 416 - 220 - 2741 • your window & door professionals • 341 Guelph St., Unit 3 Georgetown 905.873.0236 www.buy-wise.ca info@buy-wise.ca • awarded readers choice 22 times • Visit our showroom • Truck Accessories • Upholstery • Heavy Equipment Glass •Window Tinting 354 Guelph Street, Georgetown 905-873-1655 We handle all insurance work. COMMENT Trade equals jobs One in five Canadian jobs depends on trade. So, expanding trade is criti- cally important to creating jobs and economic growth here at home. That's why the federal government has been so focussed on negotiating new trade agreements. Last October, I told you about the federal government's new trade agreement with the European Union (EU). The Canada-EU trade agreement is expected to create 80,000 new Canadian jobs and add about $12 billion to Canada's economy, rep- resenting an addition of $1,000 annually to each Canadian household's income. Now, I'd like to tell you about another, newly negotiated trade agreement. On March 11, the federal govern- ment announced that Canada and the Republic of Korea had successful- ly negotiated a new trade agreement. The Canada-Korea Free Trade Agree- ment is Canada's first trade agree- ment in the Asia-Pacific region, and will provide new access for Canadian businesses and workers to the world's 15th-largest economy and the fourth- largest in Asia. By reducing tariffs and others bar- riers to trade, this trade agreement is projected to create thousands of jobs right here at home, boost Canada's economy by $1.7 billion and increase Canadian exports to South Korea by 32 per cent. In particular, the agreement will benefit Ontario's farmers (especial- ly beef and pork farmers, much of whose production is for export), as well as our food manufacturing sec- tor (the Toronto-Guelph-KW corri- dor is the largest food manufacturing region in Canada and the third larg- est in North America). Tariffs will be eliminated on Canadian agricultural and food exports to South Korea, which, until now, averaged 52.7 per cent. Now, duty-free access will be giv- en to Canadian products like beef, pork, ice wine and prepared foods. In addition, Canadian exports of pet food, food-grade soy- beans, navy/white peas, adzuki and kidney beans will now be allowed into South Korea. Some have suggested that the agreement's elim- ination of the 6.1 per cent tariff on Korean auto im- ports will harm Canadian auto manufacturing, by increasing auto imports from Kia and Hyundai. However, the protective effect of this 6.1 per cent tariff is diminishing dra- matically: The US has already agreed to eliminate its 6.1 per cent tariff, and Korean vehicles could have entered Canada tariff-free from the US under NAFTA. In addition, a 2012 study by Dr. Van Biesebroeck at the University of Toronto concluded that the tariff elimination on Korean auto imports will have a very limited impact on Ca- nadian production and jobs -- in the order of 0.2 per cent of production, or fewer than 4,500 cars out of a base of around two million units produced. The new Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement will create new jobs and economic growth by expanding ex- ports for beef and pork farmers, as well as for our food manufacturing sector. This is good news for the Canadian economy. More details on the trade agreement can be found at: http:// goo.gl/6xPzbE -- Michael Chong is the MP for Wellington-Halton Hills MICHAEL CHONG The way we were Picture day '...I thought we had the better robot.' --Dale Lynds... see story pg. 12 Chippy our resident chip- munk waking up after his winter sleep. Submitted by Rein Pater from Georgetown. Chip- munks hibernate, but instead of storing fat, they periodically eat their supply of nuts and seeds throughout the winter. Got a photo you want to share? Email: cgamble@theifp.ca. SNACK TIME From our readers 'Quote unquote' The students of Glen Williams Public School are all out in their spring finery for their class photo from 1927. Image courtesy of the Esquesing Historical Society Content: Heritage Halton Hills