LONDON, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Canada could become the first non-European Union country to see EU trade barriers ended but no pact details are to be released until after the Oct. 14 election.
The talks are scheduled for Oct. 17 in Montreal, three days after Canada's federal election. Trade Minister Michael Fortier and European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson have been discussing the trade deal for two months, the Globe and Mail newspaper reported Thursday.
The newspaper said Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper decided not to release details of the talks until after the Oct. 14 election.
Negotiators said the pact would "increase bilateral trade and investment by at least $40 billion a year, mainly in trade in services," the report said.
The newspaper said from documents correspondents saw, Harper "appears to have decided not to unveil a full text of the proposed agreement" until after the election.
