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…
free trade
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…
A Quick Thought About The TPP
I was not planning to write about the Trans Pacific Partnership deal gleefully announced by Mr. Harper yesterday, trade and economics not being my strong suits. However, looking at the…
Conservatives in Canada swing further to the far right – the other two major parties are little better
The Conservative party of Canada is clearly playing into fear, xenophobia and racism as a way to win votes, as its “War on Terror” narrative, its racial baiting and its…
Embracing The Veil
H/t The Toronto Star While our prime minister claims, when attacking the niqab, that Canadians hold openness and transparency as societal values, he is happy to keep us in the…
Free Trade, CETA, TPP, and the US and Canadian Federal Elections: Some Critical Perspective
The following is critical to understand – for the people of Canada, the US, Europe and the world: “free trade” deals such those already signed (NAFTA), and those being pushed…
TPP: Renegotiating NAFTA, By the Back Door
For years, trade and justice activists have proposed renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement to address some of the deal’s most damaging features: for example, by removing the anti-democratic…
TPP talks fail: Part of Harper’s disastrous economic project ends, says Council of Canadians
The recent failure of the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations spoils Harper’s agenda promoting the corporate takeover of the Canadian public good, says the Council of Canadians. The post TPP talks fail:…
Putting A Stake Through The Heart Of Harper’s Lies
As a youngster, there were few things I enjoyed more than vampire films starring Christopher Lee, in my view the best cinematic vampire there ever was. Usually, at the end,…
Huffington Post: Did you know Canada is the most sued nation under free trade agreements?
Now Canada wants to sign on to another massive, secretive agreement that will exploit our ‘partners’ and establish unaccountable supra-national tribunals to further erode democratic decision-making at the national level.…
WikiLeaks reveals TPP proposal empowering corporations to sue nations
WikiLeaks says the “Investment Chapter” of the secret TPP agreement is “an unaccountable supranational court for multinationals to sue states.” The post WikiLeaks reveals TPP proposal empowering corporations to sue…
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…
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…
Another Compelling Video From Operation Maple
Operation Maple (Take Canada Back) is continuing its fine job of reminding us of the terrible way we are governed, offering us frequent and compelling evidence that demonstrates how the…
The Troubled Economics, and the Curious Politics, of the Canada-Korea Trade Deal
There are many motivations to explain the Harper government’s rush to sign free trade deals. Since coming to power, the Conservatives have implemented 6 FTAs, have “concluded” 2 more (with…
Who’s afraid of free trade with Europe?
The prospect of freer trade with European nations is generally popular among Canadians. And why shouldn’t it be? Doesn’t the Canadian left repeatedly point to the advantages of many European…
This Just In
According to a CBC report, EU lawmakers are threatening to block a multi-billion dollar trade pact between Canada and the European Union — a blueprint for a much bigger EU-U.S.…
Important Challenges to Investor-State Dispute-Settlement
In my many years documenting and critiquing the overblown claims of free trade proponents about the supposedly self-regulating efficiency-promoting mutually-benefiting effects of globalization, I’ve encountered some real doozies. (My Ph.D.…
Unpacking the undemocratic Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
Jeremy Malcolm argues that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) repeats the errors of ACTA and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and imperils democracy and the broader public interest. The…