The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a massive free trade and investment agreement under negotiation by Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam.
The Greens are concerned the TPP will undermine the ability of our governments to perform effectively. More than just another trade agreement, the TPP provisions could hinder access to safe, affordable medicines, weaken local content rules for media, stifle high-tech innovation, and even restrict the ability of future governments to legislate for the good of public health and the environment.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement will have major impacts to Canada’s policy, economy and environment. It will:
- Allow foreign investors and corporations to sue Canada if any level of government passes laws that reduce their profits or adversely affect their businesses.
- Promote and protect exploitative tar sands development while safeguarding corporate profits at the expense of the health of our economy and environment.
- Introduce harsh laws on internet use allowing for strict criminal penalties for minor, non-commercial copyright infringements, and force internet providers to disclose personal information to authorities without safeguards for privacy.
The Green parties of Australia, New Zealand and Canada issued a joint statement on the TPP in August 2012. Since then, Green leaders from the USA, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines have added their signature to the declaration.
Green Party of Canada Leader Elizabeth May made public her submission to the TPP’s Environmental Assessment Process in January 2013. The document, available here, explains how the TPP will most likely include investor-state provisions. Those provisions, like the infamous Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), fundamentally erode a government’s ability to enact laws, regulations and policies that protect its environment or the health of its citizens.
The Green Party of Canada believes that the negotiation process should be transparent. This agreement has been negotiated behind closed doors with a level of secrecy that is completely unacceptable in a democratic society.
No comments:
Post a Comment