By: Stuart Trew | Originally published by Troy Media, on April 26, 2013: Jock Finlayson of the Business Council of British Columbia recently wrote a column for Troy Media on the virtues of the Canada-European Union free trade deal. He listed five reasons why he thinks the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, should
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The Canadian Progressive: City of Nanaimo asks to be excluded from CETA
Council of Canadians celebrates vote for transparency and democracy By: Council of Canadians | Press Release: NANAIMO, B.C. – The Council of Canadians and its Mid Island chapter are celebrating a decision by City Council last night to demand a permanent exemption for the City from the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On unbalanced trade
When it comes to trying to justify perpetually-increasing restrictions on democratic governance in the guise of “free trade” agreements, advocates present two polar opposite views as to what such agreements are intended to accomplish. The first – and more plausible – view of the actual and intended effect of trade
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Toronto, Prince Albert demand public dialogue on Canada-EU trade deal
By: Council of Canadians (Press Release) | March 1, 2013: OTTAWA – Two more municipalities have taken action as part of the Council of Canadians’ campaign to mobilize local governments against the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). This week, Prince Albert City Council endorsed community demands for a bigger public role in
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Excessive corporate rights in Canada-EU CETA trade deal unacceptable to Canadians and Europeans
Transatlantic Statement Opposing Excessive Corporate Rights (Investor-State Dispute Settlement) in the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) By Trade Justice Network | Feb. 5, 2013: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM and OTTAWA, ONTARIO and MONTREAL, QUEBEC – Labour, environmental, Indigenous, women’s, academic, health sector and fair trade organizations from Europe, Canada and Quebec
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Karl Flecker discusses how the Cons’ push to encourage employers to use temporary foreign workers will affect wages for everybody: In fact, what Kenney said was untrue. He has conveniently forgotten that his government significantly changed the wage rules for employers hiring
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: European Parliament Opposes Restrictive Measures in Both CETA and ITU
According to Internet freedom group European Digital Rights, provisions that would criminalize our Internet use may be dropped from the Canada-EU Trade Agreement (CETA)! While the battle isn’t…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.- Paul Boothe discusses the dangers of giving in to resource-boom hype rather than planning for sustainable development:The resource roller coaster and the crazy things it causes us to do are not new. Remember the…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on the need to question both the importance of trade agreements compared to other forms of interjurisdictional cooperation in general, and the Cons’ warped priorities in particular.For further reading…- Again, here’s the Council of Canadians’ n…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Afternoon Links
Assorted content to end your day.- Frances Russell nicely sums up the effect of the Cons’ bevy of anti-democratic trade deals:Don’t be fooled. The innocuous language used to describe the avalanche of so-called “trade” agreements raining down on …
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A New Warning About CETA
While much has already been written about the economic threats to Canada inherent in the Canada-European Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement currently being negotiated in secret by the Harper regime, a new development in those negotiations ha…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Afternoon Links
Assorted material to end your weekend. – Chrystia Freeland comments on the self-destructive nature of elite protectionism: (E)ven as the winner-take-all economy has enriched those at the very top, their tax burden has lightened. Tolerance for high executive compensation has increased, even as the legal powers of unions have been
Continue readingCanadian ProgressiveCanadian Progressive: Council of Canadians: We need a “Great Free Trade Debate” on Canada-EU trade deal
On the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, the Council of Canadians is calling on provinces to follow the Quebec government’s lead by holding immediate public consultations on this generation’s big deal – the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). “The Great Free Trade
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Mike McBane and Stuart Trew note that Canada can’t afford to sign on to yet another massive giveaway to big pharma: An Ipsos Reid poll commissioned by the Council and the health coalition and released last week shows that what would normally be
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
This and that to end your Saturday. – As pointed out by Paul Krugman, Kathleen Geier recognizes an obvious possible cause of a declining life expectancy for some less-wealthy Americans: I will offer an alternative hypothesis, one which is not explicitly identified in the Times article: inequality. In the U.S.,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Evening Links
Assorted content to end your day. – Common Dreams discusses the prevalence of inherited wealth among the U.S.’ richest individuals (as pointed out by a report by United for a Fair Economy): Forbes claims that their list of the 400 richest people is ‘the definitive scorecard of wealth’ in the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Tim Harper weighs in on the Cons’ latest campaign of coordinated lies, and notes that the NDP looks to have learned one important lesson in how to respond: The NDP may be here at the federal level for the first time, but they
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – The Ottawa Citizen asks whether Stephen Harper’s Conservatives think Canadians are stupid enough to fall for their asinine carbon tax spin. Aaron Wherry confirms that the answer is an emphatic “yes”. – But then, we shouldn’t be surprised to see the Cons
Continue readingCanadian Progressive: Canada Politics News Roundup For Sunday, September 17, 2012
Here’s a selection of our key news headlines on the eve of the Canadian Parliament’s return for the fall session. It’s going to be another acrimonious session. But the real bad news is that a new Harris-Decima poll gives Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives a 7-point lead over Thomas Mulcair’s
Continue readingCanadian Progressive: Canadians oppose drug patent extension in Canada-EU trade deal: POLL
A new poll by Ipsos Reid, released today by the Council of Canadians and the Canadian Health Coalition, shows that what would otherwise be high support for a Canada-European Union free trade deal collapses on the issue of pharmaceutical drug costs, with 69 per cent of Canadians opposing a deal that
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