Free Trade Talks With Europe Attack On Democracy, Public Services, Sustainabilty

ORGANIZATIONAL STATEMENTS
“Harper is trampling on democracy yet again with a new round of secret trade talks in Europe. People around the world are demanding tougher climate and health protections, not an expansion of discredited laissez-faire capitalism,” says Maude Barlow, national chairperson of the Council of Canadians.
 
“We’ve seen firsthand how NAFTA has destroyed jobs, depressed working conditions and rendered governments nearly powerless to corporate interests. Canadians can’t afford to go down that path again,” says CAW National President Ken Lewenza.
 
“We simply cannot afford another trade agreement that gives investors legal mechanisms to challenge environmental laws and bylaws, particularly at the provincial and municipal levels where European companies are hoping to further constrain policy space,” says Janet Eaton, Sierra Club Canada's environment and trade campaigner.
 
“The European Union has made clear it wants access to procurement and services within provincial jurisdiction. This means our public services like water and health are at risk in these talks. We need the Canadian government to stand up and make clear it is not willing to trade away public services,” says Paul Moist, national president, Canadian Union of Public Employees.
 
"The EU, which is poised to fully deregulate all post offices between 2011 and 2013, has identified postal services as one of its priority sectors, but our government has yet to tell us what position it will be taking on postal issues. The public has a right to know what the Conservatives intend to do with our post office," says Denis Lemelin, national president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
 
"This proposed agreement would prevent Canada from developing any new public services, would threaten existing public services, and would prevent governments from using taxpayer’s money to develop local economies. Public sector unions both here and in Europe have common concerns about these secretive talks, with their potentially major implications," says Larry Brown, secretary-treasurer with the National Union of Public and General Employees. 

http://www.sierraclub.ca/en/media/release/harper%E2%80%99s-free-trade-talks-europe-another-attack-democracy-say-environmental-labour-and
 
BACKGROUNDERS

Open For Business: Privatization, not higher standards, the main goal of Canada-EU free trade talks – Council of Canadians fact sheet (http://canadians.org/trade/documents/CA-EU-trade-talks.pdf)
 
A Critical Assessment of the Proposed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement Between the European Union and Canada – A joint position of the European Federation of Public Service Unions and the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the National Union of Public and General Employees and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (http://www.nupge.ca/files/publications/Critical_Assess_EU_Can_Deal.pdf)
 
PRESS CONTACTS
Dylan Penner
Council of Canadians: 613-795-8685, dpenner@canadians.org
 
Angelo DiCaro
Canadian Auto Workers union: 416.495.3754; Angelo.DiCaro@caw.ca
 
Michael Bernard
Sierra Club Canada: 613.302.9933; michaelb@sierraclub.ca
 
Canadian Union of Public Employees (Media Relations): 613-852-1494
 
Katherine Steinhoff
Canadian Union of Postal Workers: 613-236-7230 (ext. 7918); ksteinhoff@cupw-sttp.org
 
Len Bush
National Union of Public and General Employees: 613-228-9800; lbush@nupge.ca