USTR Holds Public Hearing on Canada and the Trans-Pacific Partnership

09/24/2012

Washington, D.C. - The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) today held a public hearing on matters related to Canada’s participation in the negotiations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Eleven individuals representing industry associations, non-governmental organizations, and organized labor offered testimony to officials from USTR and other U.S. government agencies.

“I would like to thank everyone who participated in today’s hearing and provided valuable input on negotiating objectives with respect to Canada’s participation in the TPP,” said United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk. “The Administration will continue to ensure that we hear from the widest possible range of stakeholders in Washington and from across the country as we move forward in these negotiations.”

Counselor and Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Trade Policy and Economics Doug Bell presided over the proceedings. Barbara Weisel, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and John Melle, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Americas, along with interagency representatives, also participated in the hearing. The testimony presented today, as well as all comments received in response to USTR’s Federal Register notice, are available at www.regulations.gov, docket number USTR-2012-0015.

List of Witnesses

• Sweetener User Association
Alison Bodor, Executive Vice President, National Confectioners Association

• International Dairy Foods Association
Clay Hough, Senior Group Vice President and General Counsel

• USA Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC), National Chicken Council
William Roenigk, Senior Vice President, National Chicken Council

• National Milk Producers Federation and the U.S. Dairy Export Council
Jaime Castaneda, Sr., Vice President, Strategic Initiatives and Trade Policy

• Knowledge Ecology International
James Love, Director

• Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
Andrew Rudman, Deputy Vice President for the Western Hemisphere

• International Intellectual Property Alliance
Steven Metalitz, Counsel

• National Association of Home Builders
Gerald M. Howard, Chief Executive Officer

• AFL-CIO
Celeste Drake, Trade Policy Specialist

• Association of Global Automakers
Paul Ryan, Director, Government Affairs

• U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Jodi Bond, Vice President, Americas