BY VICTORIA PATERSON • PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID KAWAI
International trade expert andCAFTA executive director
sounds off on TPP experience
Tradingplaces
GrainsWest:
How did you become an in-
ternational relations and trade expert?
Claire Citeau:
Before joining CAFTA,
I was actually in Edmonton. I was with
Alberta Agriculture and Rural Develop-
ment ... they’re in charge of advocacy and
trade, basically helping agri-food compa-
nies export their products, primarily to
the regions of the Americas and Europe.
I really loved it and it was fascinating to
see Canadian agri-food products being ex-
ported. They have an excellent reputation
around the world, and the vast majority of
farmers and producers rely on export, so it
was very interesting to work with compa-
nies in that field.
But what also became clear is the fact
that there were many market access bar-
riers that make exporting a daunting task,
and free-trade agreements are the one way
to help bring down the trade barriers that
really help ensure more stable and predict-
able access to market. That’s really what
the sector needs and that’s really what
CAFTA is about. I have an MBA in inter-
national business, so international trade is
really what I’m passionate about.
GW:
What inspired you to choose the
path that you did?
CC:
I’d really say that my growing up in
Africa, having the opportunity to travel
growing up and getting the opportunity
to live abroad has really opened my eyes
to the importance of what’s happening
abroad and the fact that it’s sort of an
interconnected world. We cannot take
anything for granted, and everything that
happens abroad may or may not have an
impact at home, whether it’s an economic
crisis, diseases, weather forecasts, health
or food safety. It’s so important to build
bridges and leverage assets abroad to
better grow our economy, and in Cana-
da in particular we have such abundant
resources to utilize and leverage.
GW:
What’s the most memorable trade
talk you’ve personally been involved in?
CC:
Definitely the TPP. I think I joined the
organization last June, and probably I think
day five I attended the Ottawa [TPP] round
here. I’ve gone to every single round since.
I think there is still a huge amount of
work to do—we still have to read through
6,000 pages of text, then there’s the
legislative process. It’s certainly been a
fascinating trade file to monitor. It’s a very
complex deal, and because it’s so complex
in itself, it’s really a creation of a new
trading block. It’s really a historic trade
agreement in itself.
GW:
What was your role and CAFTA’s
role at the TPP talks?
CC:
At the TPP talks, we were there to
advocate the interests of our members.
CAFTA members have advocated for a
long time for an ambitious, high-quality
TPP agreement and one that is very pluri-
FOR CLAIRE CITEAU, WITNESSING THE IMPACT OF CURRENCY DEVALUATION WHILE SHE WAS GROWING UP IN AFRICA
helped spark an interest in international trade. She spent much of her youth in Senegal, growing up there and later in France.
The 1994 Senegal currency devaluation was in part meant to help encourage exports. Piles of peanuts, so large that from a distance
they resembled sand dunes, waiting for export from the country served as a visual reminder of the influence of trade for the young
Citeau. That context was instrumental in teaching her the important role that trade can play in developing countries to help fight
poverty and create jobs.
Citeau first came to Canada to attend the University of Alberta for her bachelor’s degree and unexpectedly fell in love with the
country. She became fascinated with the Canadian entrepreneurial spirit, particularly in Edmonton. She now has a double MBA from
the University of Alberta and the Montpellier Business School in France, specializing in international trade.
After working on trade files with the Alberta government, Citeau moved to the national level to take on the role of executive director
for the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA). CAFTA is a coalition of organizations seeking a more open and fair internation-
al trading environment for the agriculture and agri-food trade-dependent sectors. CAFTA was advocating for its members’ interests
throughout the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade talks, with representatives like Citeau travelling to the various rounds of negoti-
ations. The final round came to an end in early October with an agreement reached in principle. Now the deal has to be ratified by all
TPP member countries before it can be enforced.
Winter
2016
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