The Senate opposed Thursday the ratification of the Ceta free trade treaty between the European Union and Canada. A left-right alliance of circumstance allowed the Senate on Thursday to oppose the ratification.
The vote to reject the trade agreement was logically broad, 211 votes against 44. Minister for Foreign Trade Franck Riester denounced "a crude maneuver, an unacceptable manipulation with serious consequences for our country" and "a disastrous signal" for Canada. The government in favor of CETA has gone out of its way to try to convince people of the merits of this agreement.