The Canadian government will finalise by early next year a free-trade deal with the European Union that it believes will create 80,000 jobs in the country, reports the Vancouver Sun.

The deal, which will eventually eliminate all trade tariffs will benefit Canada’s manufacturing sector more than any other, with fish and seafood, agriculture, forestry and technology industries also set to grow, Canada’s international trade minister Ed Fast told the Vancouver Sun.

The EU is the largest goods-importing market in the world, and is second only to the US in terms of trade with Canada - exports to Europe totalled CND$49.2bn (£31bn) in 2010, and imports CND$55.3bn (£33.4bn).

Opposition Liberal politician Wayne Easter was concerned that the Canadian dairy, poultry and egg sectors could be hit by the deal, telling the Vancouver Sun: “It could kills jobs”.