Time to toss ISDS in the trash bin of history
Every day I have a moment of gratitude for living in Canada, especially here in the Cowichan Valley. I feel quite protective of this beautiful country I call home and feel rather relieved that there is a conscious awakening of its citizens to stand up in honour of its people and land.
It has come to my attention, via Leadnow that there is a sort of media “blackout” ignoring the importance of covering a very important current story in Canada.
Worldwide, all people should be informed and aware that this week in Toronto, oil and gas company Lone Pine Resources is using Chapter 11 of NAFTA to sue our government for over $100 million, over a temporary fracking ban under the St Lawrence River.
What is Chapter 11 you ask? It is referred to as the Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) that gives billionaire corporations special rights to sue governments for passing laws or policies that could bring down their expected profits.
So where is the news about this you ask? My thoughts exactly! It is rather shocking and even suspicious that a tribunal of this kind is not getting daily coverage as it happens as well as beforehand in its anticipation.
What also horrifies me is that Canada is considered to be the most sued country in the global north due to NAFTA’s Chapter 11 ISDS rules! What’s more is the majority of the lawsuits are over our environmental regulations.
So let’s please be transparent about this and take every opportunity to tell the truth and educate again and again about fracking and the NAFTA renegotiations. These renegotiations offer a chance to highlight the dangers of ISDS and remove the outrageous rules that let corporations undermine our democracy via appalling, greedy lawsuits that must stop.
It’s time to toss ISDS in the trash bin of history.
Christina Hamill
Duncan