On August 25, 1988; then federal Minister of the Environment, Tom McMillan, tabled Bill C-156, in the House of Commons: the Canada Water Preservation Act The reason for the bill was to give teeth to an announcement made the year before, by the Mulroney government, that they would not consider large-scale water
Continue readingTag: NAFTA
Susan on the Soapbox: The One Question to Ask a Conservative Candidate in This Election
He did it. Stephen Harper dropped the writ and we’re heading into a 78 day election campaign. Oh joy! I’m serious. I intend to have a real conversation with my Conservative MP, the ditzy Joan Crockatt. I expect our conversation to go something like this: Ding dong. (Dog erupts into
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Pricing the priceless: Why BC’s new water prices don’t violate NAFTA
Friday, July 17, 2015 We have suggested that BC's new water rates are too low – an assessment shared by the signatories to a SumofUs.org petition signed by 225,000 people. As a result, the BC government has commited to review its water rates. But with former MLA Judy Tyabji suggesting
Continue readingLeft Over: Auto-Immune to Progress: Car Manufacturing Going South
Carmakers say adios to Canada as Mexico shifts into higher gear Mexico now makes more cars than Canada, a trend that’s not expected to change By Pete Evans, CBC News Posted: Jun 15, 2015 5:00 AM ET Last Updated: Jun 15, 2015 9:31 AM ET It’s deja vu all over
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Joseph Stiglitz laments the corporate takeover of policy-making processes, including by imposing trade rules which impede democratic decision-making: The real intent of [investor protection] provisions is to impede health, environmental, safety, and, yes, even financial regulations meant to protect America’s own economy
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Primer on Investor-State Dispute Settlement
In light of the latest NAFTA Chapter 11 decision to go against Canada, I was asked to put together some background notes for our Unifor leadership on this bizarre quasi-judicial kangaroo courtsystem. Here they are, in case they are useful for anyone else getting up to speed on the whole
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Free trade to blame for growing income inequality in Canada
A study recently released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives found that the modern free trade era has exacerbated income inequality in Canada. The post Free trade to blame for growing income inequality in Canada appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Council of Canadians’ Maude Barlow asks new Greece government to reject CETA
The chairperson of the Council of Canadians has asked the new Syriza government in Greece to reject the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). The post Council of Canadians’ Maude Barlow asks new Greece government to reject CETA appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Frances Russell writes that NAFTA and subsequent trade agreements are designed to make it difficult for democratic governments to exercise any meaningful authority. And Rowena Mason discusses how the EU-US TTIP is particularly directed toward throwing the public to corporate wolves, while Glyn
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Scott Sinclair studies the effect of NAFTA on government policies, and finds that it’s been used primarily (and all too frequently) to attack Canadian policy choices: A study released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) finds over 70% of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Hugh Segal discusses the need for an open and honest conversation about poverty and how to end it. And to better reflect Canadians’ continued desire for a more fair society, Roderick Benns makes the case for a basic income as Canada’s next
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Thomas Walkom discusses why politicians have thus far failed to take any meaningful action on climate change. But it’s also worth noting that the question of whether voters are pushing for change may not be the only determining factor in government decision-making. Most
Continue readingThe Conservatives sabotage NAFTA
The road to the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) began under a Conservative government and has been championed by Conservatives ever since. Surprising then that they should treat it with such contempt. Not all of it, of course, definitely not the part that benefits the corporate sector, just the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Rob Nixon’s review of Naomi Klein’s This Changes Everything nicely sums up why the book – and the fundamental clash it documents between corporate profit-seeking and the health of people and our planet – should be at the centre of our political
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Deep thought
It’s always a relief to know our governments are constantly negotiating free trade deals to make sure no possible bidders are unfairly shut out of public procurement processes. That is, unless they’re Canadian.
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Opposites Attract: The New Conservative Love Affair With Canada
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger Canada and the US share the world’s longest undefended border, speak the same language approximately, and as is engraved on the ‘Peace Arch’ in Blaine Washington we are ‘Children of a Common Mother’. We have a great deal in common and yet there are social and cultural
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: BREAKING: German TV Leaks CETA Trade Deal Text
by: Obert Madondo Follow @Obiemad | Published Wed, Aug 13, 2014 The finer details of the controversial and highly secretive Canada-EU trade deal, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), is now available to the Canadian and global publics for much-needed scrutiny. Germany television show Tagesschau leaked the full text of the deal
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Jenna Smialiek reports on Gabriel Zucman’s conclusion that the .1% has managed to prevent the rest of us from even approaching reasonable estimates as to how much wealth is being hoarded at the top. And Bryce Covert discusses how that carefully-cultivated lack of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how we should take Germany’s rightful concern over investor-state dispute settlement provisions as an opportunity to reevaluate what we expect to accomplish through trade and investment agreements such as CETA. For further reading…– Peter Clark, Michael Geist and Scott Sinclair discuss Germany’s objections to new trade agreements with
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Germany to reject Conservatives’ Canada-EU free trade deal
A victory for Canadian democracy as Germany rejects the Harper Conservatives’ reviled multi-billion dollar Canada-EU free trade deal. The post Germany to reject Conservatives’ Canada-EU free trade deal appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.
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