Hopes are high in Ottawa that Canada will formally ratify the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the European Union before Parliament goes on its Christmas break.
The House of Commons committee on trade will begin considering, clause-by-clause, the bill that will implement the agreement on Wednesday.
That bill passed second reading in the House of Commons earlier today with support from both the Liberals and Conservatives. Only 39 of the 338 MPs in the House of Commons voted against the implementation bill.
The agreement will likely come into force early next year after it is approved by the European Parliament, which expects to put its version of the ratification bill to a vote in the new year.