"The signing of the (free-trade agreement) is to provide a stable and anticipated institutional arrangement for mutual investment, so that investors won't worry (that) their investments may encounter some difficulties or problems."

well, at least he's honest. so, why not drop the orwellian "free trade" language, then? that's not a description of free trade, it's a frank statement of why people oppose these "free trade" agreements - we don't want to sign away our sovereignty to foreign investors, or give them the ability to override our laws in these wonky corporatized kangaroo courts.

what canadians want is a stable and anticipated institutional arrangement that ensures that foreign investors are held accountable under canadian jurisprudence, so that we don't have to worry about investors running rough shod over our democratically enacted laws and carefully arrived at judicial precedent.

again: we need a trade framework with china. we can't have free trade with the existing chinese economy; it's an incoherent proposition. so, what we need is to normalize relations in such a way that upholds our national sovereignty in the face of corporate irresponsibility. and, what you're smoking is stronger than what i'm smoking if you think that this government is on the side of canadian citizens in this matter.

expect the chinese to get everything they ask for.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/china-norsat-free-trade-canada-1.4190712