This week’s Spin Doctors topic was on Prime Minister Harper’s plans to have Canada join the Transpacific Partnership.
“With the U.S. delaying its decision on the Keystone XL pipeline, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has announced that Canada will apply to join the TransPacific partnership. Is this the right decision for Canada?”
My answer:
The move to sign Canada on to the TransPacific partnership is policy by headlines, and is not designed to advance Canada’s interests. It’s a thinly-veiled strategy to help detract from the massive blow Harper suffered when Obama decided to delay the Keystone XL pipeline decision. government talked a big game on the pipeline, assuring everyone it was a done deal, and now Harper’s doing damage control.
Joining the TransPacific partnership has enormous potential to further undermine Canada’s sovereignty. This rash decision means Canadian consumers are looking at higher prices for many foods, as the deal will exert pressure on us to dismantle our supply management systems for a variety of agricultural products. Other concerns include intellectual property protections for drugs that could limit access to life-saving medications, and provisions that would continue to allow industry to sue countries for environmental protections.
Participating in yet another trade agreement is completely unnecessary, as we already have global trade, which is afforded strong protections by way of the WTO and the GATT. Yet the Conservatives continue to doggedly pursue their ideological liberalization agenda by signing new, unnecessary deals that chip away at our sovereignty, like CETA and trade deals with Asia. The TransPacific partnership prioritizes corporate profit at the expense of people and the environment.
Scridb filter