Editor:
One of the last so-called “trade deals” that Harper signed on to is the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). This deal is NOT a trade deal; rather, it is simply a deal to give large corporations, mostly American, unfettered access and control over our economy.
Jim Balsillie, founder of Blackberry maker Research In Motion, has spoken out against the deal, calling it “the worst thing that the Harper government has done for Canada.” Balsillie went on to say that “10 years from now, we’ll call that signature the worst thing in policy that Canada’s ever done.”
Ralph Nader, consumer advocate in the U.S., calls the TPP “the most brazen corporate power grab in American history.”
This deal cannot be modified to make it acceptable. It gives too much power to corporations, effectively allowing them to overrule sovereign government decisions. Dispute resolution under the TPP is not carried out by sovereign states. Rather it is conducted by a three-member corporate secret tribunal, the decisions of which, unbelievably, cannot be contested by national governments.
This is not democracy. This is corporate greed.
The new International Trade Minister, Chrystia Freeland, who was named to cabinet the day before the secretly negotiated treaty was finally made public, reiterated Prime Minister Trudeau’s statement that the Liberals believe in trade. However, she also noted that the deal was negotiated by the Conservative government and that she wanted to hear Canadians’ opinions on the deal. She said the Liberal government will have a full parliamentary debate and House of Commons vote on the deal.
Please learn about the consequences of Canada approving the TPP, then send your comments to Minister Freeland at [email protected]
Norm Funnell, Roberts Creek
