Thank you Liz Newton for your warnings on the TPP. We do need to question candidates on this.
There is another elephant in the room! There is another trade agreement to be ratified soon and that is CETA, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. Canada and the EU have been negotiating CETA since 2009 and it is due to be ratified soon.
CETA will deregulate and privatize the Canadian economy while increasing corporate power.
Voters need to ask candidates what they know about CETA and where they stand. The consequences of this trade agreement are a serious threat to our ability to govern locally.
We do need trade with other countries and we expect that we must give up some benefits to acquire others from trading partners. But we must not give up our ability to govern locally. Our municipalities could be unable to ban contracts which may harm our environment, keep our water systems public or maintain our public health system.
Among the demands of the EU is patent protection for brand-name pharmaceuticals, which will add millions to price of pharmaceutical drugs.
Since NAFTA Canada has been sued more times than any other country through investor-state disputes, 35 lawsuits costing $170 million in damages. CETA grants even more rights to foreign investors. Canadians and Europeans must reject CETA. We must not hand over our county to corporations.
Trudy Thorgeirson
Duncan