Canada needs to stop the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)

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April 26, 2016

The Union has a number of concerns related to the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a trade deal negotiated by the previous Conservative federal government, which includes the U.S, Japan, Mexico, and eight other trans-pacific countries.

The TPP will allow foreign corporations to bid on Canadian infrastructure projects and allow those corporations to bring in unlimited foreign workers with no requirement to seek out Canadian workers first. That could mean job losses for tens of thousands of Canadian skilled trades’ workers.

Foreign dairy products would not be required to meet the restrictions that Canadian products must adhere to. The current supply management system for the industry would end and billions in subsidies would be paid to dairy, chicken, and egg farmers to soften the blow.

Another portion of the agreement gives pharmaceutical companies even more patent rights which could easily drive up the cost of prescription drugs for Canadians by millions.

One of the most insidious parts of the agreement is the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provision which allows corporations to sue our government and challenge regulations such as food safety laws or environmental protection as “trade barriers.” Canada already has the distinction of being the most-sued country in the world under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with $172 million paid out in damages under Chapter 11 of the pact as of January 2015.1

Read more on the problem of ISDS provisions at the Council of Canadians website.

We need real change. Contact your Member of Parliament and Add Your Voice.


1 https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/nafta-chapter-11-investor-state-disputes-january-1-2015

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