Five things to know about the Trans-Pacific Partnership, rejected by U.S.

OTTAWA — A quick look at the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the deal that President Donald Trump said Monday the United States would not be pursuing:

— Twelve Pacific Rim countries, including Canada, signed on to the TPP, but the deal faced heavy criticism from all sides, ensuring its road to final ratification would be rocky to say the least.

— The United States and Japan are the two largest economies in the TPP, and in order to ratify the deal at least six countries comprising 85 per cent of the pact’s overall GDP had to approve it. Simple math means that the U.S. withdrawal scuttles the deal.

— Former U.S. President Barack Obama and Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper were ardent supporters of the TPP. So too was former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, at least until she did an abrupt about-face after encountering widespread popular opposition to the pact during the presidential race.