Reuters: In blow to Canada’s Trudeau, legislator defects to opposition. A legislator from Canada’s ruling Liberals unexpectedly defected to the main opposition party on Monday, dealing a blow to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a year before the next federal election. Leona Alleslev, a backbench member of Parliament from the greater Toronto region, told reporters that she had joined the Conservatives because she was concerned about the government’s handling of the economy. Critics say Trudeau, who now enjoys a majority of just 12 seats in the House of Commons, has mishandled talks on NAFTA – the trade agreement with the United States and Mexico currently being renegotiated – put up obstacles to major energy projects, and is running up too much debt. The next election is set for October 2019.

Reuters: Canada’s Freeland heading back to Washington this week for NAFTA talks. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland on Monday said she would return to Washington, D.C. this week for fresh talks on NAFTA as time is running very short to meet a U.S. demand for a deal by October 1. Freeland, speaking after a phone conversation with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, said a date for the latest round had not yet been set. Although the two have met in Washington in each of the last three weeks, officials are still seeking common ground on major issues in the trilateral North American Free Trade Agreement.

Wall Street Journal: U.S. business groups urge Trump to keep Canada in Nafta. U.S. business groups sought Tuesday to increase pressure on the Trump Administration to retain the existing structure of the North American Free Trade Agreement, urging U.S. officials to avoid advancing a new version of the pact that includes Mexico but not Canada. “It would be unacceptable to sideline Canada, our largest export market in the world,” wrote the heads of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable and the National Association of Manufacturers in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. The business groups also called for negotiators to build in strong enforcement provisions to hold all three countries to account; avoid sunset clauses that could lead to the termination of the agreement; and exclude language allowing for new tariffs on the auto industry or other sectors.

CNBC: Wilbur Ross: Trump is ‘totally happy’ to add Canada, but the US is advancing its trade deal with just Mexico. President Donald Trump would still like Canada to join the trade deal that the U.S. crafted with Mexico, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told CNBC on Tuesday. However, the U.S. is moving forward on the bilateral Mexico agreement, Ross said on “Squawk Box.” The United States Trade Representative office “already filed with the Congress the notice regarding the transaction with Mexico,” Ross said. He said the details should be made public “very shortly,” after the consultation period ends.

BBC: Canada cannabis entrepreneurs ‘could face US lifetime ban’. Canadian cannabis entrepreneurs and investors could face a lifetime ban from the US over their involvement in the industry, US media report. A senior US border official told news site Politico that Canadians in the burgeoning sector could be deemed inadmissible to the US. Canada is a month away from becoming the first industrialised nation to legalise recreational cannabis use. While some US states allow pot use, the drug remains federally illegal.

ZME Science: Canada bans artificial trans fats which cause heart disease. The Canadian government will make it illegal for manufacturers to add artificial trans fats to their products. The ban, which was announced last year to give manufacturers the time to prepare, will come into effect on Monday, September 17. Experts have hailed the move as an important milestone in the country’s nutritional policy.

Latin Lawyer: Canadian minerals group to enter Brazil. Lobo de Rizzo Advogados in São Paulo is advising Canadian minerals company GrowMax on its proposed acquisition of Brazilian animal feed and plant product producer Fertimar.

The Local.fr: Air France: New Canadian chief vows to invest half of salary in airline. Air France-KLM’s new Canadian boss said Monday that he would invest half of his fixed salary into the company’s stock as a gauge of his “confidence” in returning the strike-prone airline to a more solid footing. Benjamin Smith made the pledge in a video message to staff as he officially took up his new position as chief executive at the French-Dutch airline. His fixed salary is 900,000 euros ($1.0 million) a year, but his total compensation can reach as high as 4.25 million if performance targets are met.

Roya News – Jordan: Jordan receives military equipment from Canada. The Jordanian Armed Forces have received personal security equipment for non-commissioned officers and operations staff from Canada. The delivery ceremony was attended by high-ranking Jordanian military personnel and the Ambassador of Canada to Jordan, Peter MacDougall.

Ammon News – Jordan: International Development Research Centre (IDRC) opens regional office in Jordan. The Cabinet of Jordan has approved an agreement between the government and the IDRC to establish a regional office in Jordan aimed to execute the Centre’s programs in the country. The IDRC is a Canadian organization that aims to promote, launch, and assist development programs and research in developing regions across the globe, and to achieve economic and social advancements in these regions by applying related scientific and technical knowledge.

Watania – Palestine: Palestinian Canadian Business Council launches in Ramallah. The Canadian Representative Office to the Palestinian Authority has launched the new Council and its pilot project, Wasselni [sic], to be executed by the Business Women Forum in Palestine. The launching ceremony was attended by the Canadian Minister of International Trade Diversification, Jim Carr, and the Representative of Canada to the Palestinian Authority, Douglas Scott Proudfoot‏. Minister Carr announced that Canada will finance the project which aims to assist 81 graduates and 27 women-owned small and medium enterprises. The Council will work towards increasing trade and cooperation in research and information and communications technology sector.

New Turk Post – Turkey: Turkey-Canada trade increases significantly in 2018. The Ambassador of Canada to Turkey, Chris Cooter, has stated that trade between the two countries reached $3 billion, with room for more increase in 2018, raising Turkey’s rank from 44th in 2013 to 14th on the list of trading partner nations with Canada. The statement came during the Minister’s visit to the Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry in east Turkey.

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