With talk of “betraying our friendship” all being done in the very polite way that exemplifies both countries, Canada and New Zealand are in the midst of a historic trade war over dairy products.
In September 2023, New Zealand won a trade dispute under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which found Canada was in breach for blocking dairy imports and gave it until May this year to fix things.
But after it failed to do so, New Zealand on Oct. 18 decided to take the unprecedented step of invoking a clause which forces Canada to enter into compulsory negotiation. Once that concludes, it then has 30 days to abide by the terms of the agreement, and if it does not, New Zealand can take further action….