Blaine Higgs 'furious' over sexual education presentation
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
Britain and New Zealand have agreed on a trade deal that eliminates tariffs on a wide range of goods as the U.K. expands economic links around the world following its exit from the European Union.
The deal was cemented late Wednesday in a conference call between U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his New Zealand counterpart, Jacinda Ardern, after 16 months of talks by negotiators. Although trade with New Zealand accounts for only 0.2% of the U.K.'s trade, Britain hopes it will help open the door toward membership in the trans-Pacific trade partnership.
The partnership, which includes Japan, Canada, and Vietnam, had GDP of 8.4 trillion pounds (US$11.6 trillion) in 2020.
"This is a great trade deal for the United Kingdom, cementing our long friendship with New Zealand and furthering our ties with the Indo-Pacific," Johnson said. "It will benefit businesses and consumers across the country, cutting costs for exporters and opening up access for our workers."
Ardern said the deal was among the best ever achieved by New Zealand and would boost the nation's economy by about 1 billion New Zealand dollars ($720 million) as it opens the way for more sales of the country's wine, butter, cheese and beef.
"This is a historic but substantial deal and it's been achieved basically in a year," Ardern said. "That has never been done before."
Trade officials in the U.K. trumpeted the benefits of the deal, declaring that sauvignon blanc wine, Manuka honey and kiwi fruit from New Zealand would be cheaper for British consumers. Clothing, buses and bulldozers will also no longer face tariffs.
British farmers expressed disquiet, however, saying the deal, and another signed with Australia earlier this year, may boost food imports at a time when labor shortages and rising costs are already hurting many U.K. farmers.
"This could damage the viability of many British farms in the years ahead, to the detriment of the public, who want more British food on their shelves, and to the detriment of our rural communities and cherished farmed landscapes," National Farmers Union President Minette Batters said.
"Instead of repeating the refrain that these deals will be good for British agriculture, our government now needs to explain how these deals will tangibly benefit farming, the future of food production and the high standards that go along with it on these shores," Batters said.
Asked if the deal meant New Zealand would be less reliant on China for its exports, Ardern said diversification would improve options and resilience for its exporters.
When Britain joined what was then the European Economic Community back in 1973 many New Zealand exporters felt abandoned.
Ardern said the new deal meant that perhaps it was time to draw a line under that period of history.
Some of the details of the deal are still being finalized, and officials expect it to take effect next year.
Johnson's Conservative government is negotiating free trade deals around the world to try to boost economic growth following Brexit. The biggest prize would be a trade deal with the United States, although a deal with America seems far off.
------
Perry reported from Wellington, New Zealand.
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
Grayson Murray's parents said Sunday their 30-year-old son took his own life, just one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event.
A 60-year-old woman saw her dreams of becoming the oldest Miss Universe contestant in history melt away in a haze of sequins and selfies Saturday at Argentina’s annual beauty pageant.
North Korea has told Japan it plans to launch a satellite by early next week, an apparent effort to put its second military spy satellite into orbit.
Two people died after a plane went down in a remote area near Squamish, B.C. on Friday, authorities have confirmed.
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.
You'll have a lot more energy throughout the day if you get a good night's sleep, but not everyone does due to a medical condition.
Powerful storms killed at least 15 people and left a wide trail of destruction Sunday across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas during the latest deadly weather to strike the central U.S.
Real quick — what did you have for lunch yesterday? Were you with anyone? Where were you? Can you picture the scene? The ability to remember things that happened to you in the past, especially to go back and recall little incidental details, is a hallmark of what psychologists call episodic memory — and new research indicates that it’s an ability humans may share with birds called Eurasian jays.
A Saskatchewan man made it to the summit of Mount Everest earlier this month.
IAMGOLD’s Cote Gold open pit mine, located off Highway 144 between Timmins and Sudbury, had its official ribbon-cutting ceremony this week as production ramps up.
When one is extended an invitation to the Royal Garden Party in London, England, there's undoubtedly no shortage of pomp and circumstance. Barrie, Ont. natives Megan Kirk Chang and her husband Brandon experienced just that as they entered the prestigious event hosted at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
An unlikely celebrity emerged from social media to cheer on the Edmonton Oilers as they face the Dallas Stars tonight in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
The proprietors of Regina's sole discount theatre are aware they're carrying on a significant legacy.
When Jujhar Mann said he wanted to be a pastry chef on a grade school career project, he didn't imagine that pursuing his dream would land him on a popular Netflix baking competition.
A city known for its history, ties to outer space and southern barbecue, is also home to a Winnipeg chef dishing out dozens of perogies.
A Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Public libraries in Atlantic Canada are now lending a broader range of items.