Free Trade Is Never Free
While it is beginning to look like International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland’s departure from CETA negotiations was more of a ploy than the end of talks, the hiatus at least…
free trade
This Is Good News
I’ll have more to say about this in the future, but for now, some good news for those who oppose free trade deals that sacrifice national sovereignty and jobs so…
Denying Globalization’s Downside Won’t Stop Right-Wing Populism
I was somewhat surprised to see Stephen Poloz recently urging economists to do more work identifying and disseminating research on the supposed benefits of free trade. That’s slightly beyond his…
UPDATED: Thank You, Germans, For Fighting What Should Also Be Our Battle
While Canadians by and large seem content to sleep through the entire CETA negotiations, uttering nary an objection to a deal that will severely compromise our sovereignty, ordinary Germans are…
Joseph Stiglitz On The TPP
A very brief video, but a very important message about the dangers of the Investor-State Dispute Settlement mechanism that is a central part of the Trans Pacific Partnership, and something…
Trudeau Has Some Explaining To Do
While our 'new' government continues upon the Harper neoliberal path, apparently never having met a free trade agreement it doesn't like, one issue that never seems to be honestly addressed…
How to Solve a Problem like Internal Trade Barriers?
The updated agreement on internal trade, which had been moving along nicely, has hit a snag. Negotiators had wanted to open up all government procurement (meaning, not allowing any preferential…
The TPP is a Bad Idea, part 27
On June 16th the House Committee on International Trade held its 27th meeting about the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The Canadian Labour Congress, the Canadian Association of Research Libraries, Scott Sinclair, and…
“Signing Trade Deals” is NOT Synonymous with “Promoting Trade”
The fine folks at the Institute for Research on Public Policy have undertaken an important and eclectic review of Canadian trade policy. They have marshaled 30 contributions from researchers addressing…
Corporate rights masquerading as trade (again)
Anti-democratic investor rights deals are in the news again, thanks partly to a Communications Workers of America & Trade Justice Network event that brought Nobel prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz…
The High Cost Of Free Trade
Despite the rhetoric by our political and corporate overlords about the wondrous benefits of free trade, multitudes of people on both sides of the border are becoming increasingly aware of…
Michael Geist: The Case Against Canada Ratifying The Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement
This week, Internet and e-commerce law expert, Michael Geist, concluded his illuminating 50-day series on the "trouble with the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP)" by presenting a compelling case against Canada…
This Does Not Sound Good
Given that the government of Justin Trudeau is in favour of trade deals such as the TPP, its approval seems a foregone conclusion, despite its many grave potential drawbacks:For a…
Stanford Responds to Moffatt: Why I Still Worry About Auto Job Losses Under a TPP
My friend and fellow #cdnecon tweeter Mike Moffatt has published a thought-provoking commentary regarding the impact of the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) on Canada’s auto industry. Specifically, Mike engages…
Canada To Sign TPP
The federal government has confirmed that it intends to sign the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal at a meeting next week in New Zealand.But that doesn't mean the Liberal government…
350.org Responds to TransCanada’s NAFTA Lawsuit over Keystone XL
TransCanada's lawsuit against the US over President Obama's rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline reminds us how many of our rights free trade agreements give away, says 350.org. The post…
Climate denial in the TPP trade agreement
The 5,000-page TPP agreement “is literally in climate denial” while expanding the rights of corporations, argues Ben Lilliston, the director of climate strategies at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade…
Some missing elements from the Canadian TPP debate
With an agreement reached on the Trans Pacific Partnership, the 12-member trade and investment treaty, opinions began swirling about what the deal means for the future of Canada. Plenty of…
The media love the TPP, but should you?
My piece on the mainstream media’s trade deal boosterism was published at Ricochet yesterday. Canada’s media have heaped fawning praise on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the biggest free trade and investment…
Trudeau’s Endorsement of Harper’s Trans-Pacific Partnership Deal Insulting
Justin Trudeau blindly endorses the secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, and then attacks Stephen Harper for failing to be transparent “especially in regards to what Canada is conceding”. The post Trudeau’s…