Trade Justice Network Releases Secret Draft Of Can-EU FTA (CETA)

http://www.tradejustice.ca

Trade Justice Network

Apr 19, 2010 10:30 ET

Trade Justice Network Releases Secret Draft of Canada-European Union Free
Trade Agreement, Makes Demands of Canadian and European Governments

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - April 19, 2010) - As the third round
of Canada-European Union free trade negotiations commence the newly
formed Trade Justice Network today publicly released the draft text
of the proposed Canada-European Union Economic and Trade Agreement
(CETA) - the most significant bilateral trade negotiation since the
NAFTA. The network is raising serious concerns about the agreement's
potential impact on public and environmental policy, and public services
in both Canada and Europe, among other issues, and has outlined a set of
demands that must be met before negotiations are allowed to continue.

Controversial provisions in the draft text would open Canada's
telecommunications sector to full foreign ownership, stop municipal
governments from implementing local or ethical procurement
strategies, and require a burdensome necessity test for prudential
financial measures designed to help governments mitigate or avoid
banking and financial crises. The text also presents a direct attack on
Ontario's Green Energy Act, and it would virtually eliminate the rights of
farmers to save, reuse and sell seed, providing biotech, pharmaceutical,
pesticide, seed and grain companies powerful new tools to essentially
decide who should farm and how.

Canadian negotiators have also included a controversial investor-
state dispute mechanism like the one in NAFTA. The Chapter 11 dispute
process has allowed and encouraged large multinationals to sue North
American governments for compensation against public health and
environmental policies that limit corporate profits.

The Trade Justice Network has outlined a list of 11 demands that its
members feel must be met in any trade deal with Europe. These include: a
comprehensive impact assessment of the deal on the economy, jobs, poverty,
gender, human rights, farmers, culture and the environment; a fundamental
protection for public services and expansion of social policy; a
recognition of and protection for the right to use public procurement as
an economic development tool, and of the right to regulate in the public
interest based on the precautionary principle; a commitment to strengthen
labour and environmental protections and make them as binding, if not more
binding, than investor guarantees, and a recognition of the primacy of
Indigenous Rights over corporate rights in Indigenous lands, territories
and waters.

The Trade Justice Network will hold a series of public forums over
the course of the week to further discuss the proposed trade deal
while official negotiations are taking place in Ottawa. Forums are
scheduled to take place in Ottawa (April 19), Montreal (April 20) and
Toronto (April 21).

For more information on the public forums (times and locations), or
to learn more about the Trade Justice Network and read the civil
society declaration on the CETA, visit: www.tradejustice.ca.

A full copy of the consolidated draft negotiating text has been
posted on the Trade Justice Network website as well and is now
available.

For more information, please contact

Council of Canadians
Stuart Trew
647-222-9782
or
Canadian Auto Workers
Angelo DiCaro
416-606-6311

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[1] Leaked CETA document under negotiation
The leaked Can-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement document
under negotiation is now on line at http://www.tradejustice.ca/   Check
bottom of Home Page

--------------------------------

[2] Synopsis of Events - European participants have been unable to
fly in because of  grounding of flights due to  volcanic ash; however they
will be participating by skype or video presentations. 

Ottawa: Monday, April 19, 7:00 p.m. Saint Paul University
Amphitheatre 223 Main Street (side-door off parking lot)

Montreal: Tuesday, April 20, 7:00 p.m. Pavillon Athanase-David de
l´UQAM, local D-R200 1430, rue Saint-Denis (angle Maisonneuve, métro
Berri-UQAM)

Toronto: Wednesday, April 21, 7:00 p.m. University of Toronto,
International Student Centre (Cumberland Room), 33 St. George Street (just
north of College)

--------------------------

[3] Fact Sheets include analysis of impacts on a number of sectors
and services as well as background documents on the Global Europe
policy context in Europe and a Timeline including both Global Europe and
CETA developments. http://www.tradejustice.ca/FactSheets?bl=y

Overview

CETA Timeline and Context

Global Europe Backgrounder CETA

Food Sovereignty

Local Procurement

Public Services

Public postal services

Telecommunications

Trade and Environment

------------------------------

[4] Participation of Scott Sinclair, Dir CCPA Trade & investment
Research, speaking on the jointly released CCPA study "Negotiating
from Weakness: Canada-EU trade treaty threatens Canadian purchasing
policies and public services" 
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/negotiating-
%E2%80%89weakness

Media pick up has been positive.

About this Publication

Drawing heavily on leaked documents, including the draft negotiating text,
this analysis of the proposed Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade
Agreement (CETA) warns that it poses a serious threat to Canada´s
procurement policies and a broad range of public services.

According to the analysis, the proposed CETA would have an adverse
impact on public services, such as waste, drinking water, and public
transit. The proposed rules would entrench commercialization, especially
public-private partnerships; prohibit governments from obliging foreign
investors to purchase locally, transfer technology or train local workers;
and make it far harder for governments to reverse failed privatizations.


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