SIFMA provides comments to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on the participation of Canada, Japan, and Mexico in Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The USTR published the requests for comments in the Federal Register (FR) on December 7, 2011 based on the expressions of interest by Canada, Japan, and Mexico in the TPP.  (Canada: FR Doc. 2011-31317; Japan: FR Doc. 2011-31322, Mexico: FR Doc. 2011-31318).  SIFMA believes that a high-standard, comprehensive, and broad-based regional agreement would represent a key building block in opening foreign markets to U.S. business, consumers, and investors, resulting in new opportunities to create jobs, and bolster economic growth. Such an agreement among TPP markets can also serve as a launch pad for the addition of similar like-minded countries.  SIFMA notes that if Canada, Mexico and Japan are welcomed into the TPP, the agreement will cover nations with a combined population of 785 million citizens and a combined gross domestic product of nearly $23.8 trillion.