The Harper government has been negotiating the Canada-EU Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) behind closed doors for the last few years. The negotiations have been based on the pretext of improving trade between Canada and Europe, but the reality is that the proposed deal will do little to improve trade. CETA will, however, greatly increase the rights of corporations and investors at the expense of the public good.Key clauses in the proposed agreement give special rights to investors and corporations, while robbing provincial and municipal governments and agencies of their ability to regulate in the public interest or even to procure goods and services in ways that benefit the community. For example, CETA would specifically prohibit 'Buy Canadian' and 'Buy Local' policies, or even other procurement policies that incorporate environmental or social considerations that impact foreign companies. The low thresholds of CETA’s procurement clauses mean that CETA rules would apply to most provincial and municipal spending on goods and services.CETA would threaten key sectors such as water, waste water treatment, electricity, roads, ports, and health care, which are typically publicly provided and/or strictly regulated to ensure quality and safety.Investor-state clauses in CETA would allow European corporations to mount expensive legal challenges against provincial and local governments if they are unhappy with a government decision or policy.CETA would also lock in privatisation, because once a public service has been privatised, the deal specifically prohibits taking any privatised service back into the public sector. Even if privatisation turned out to be a disaster, there would be no turning back.The model of global free trade and deregulation embodied in CETA is precisely the economic model which has brought us to the brink of environmental and social collapse; we must reject this model and instead embrace a system of enlightened, public interest governance that is rooted in the local economy and sustained through a system of grassroots democracy.If the Harper government believes so strongly that CETA is in Canada’s best interests, it should prove this point to Canadians before starting fresh CETA negotiations. The negotiations should be completely open to the public, with Canada’s negotiating positions made clear, and the public should be allowed to examine a proposed final deal, make meaningful changes, and have the power to accept or reject the deal through a democratic referendum.

I’m just an ordinary Canadian, but like most Canadians I believe in a government that serves the interests of the people, not just the narrow interests of corporations and investors. I also believe we need governments—municipal, provincial, and federal—that have the power to create laws, regulate business, and procure goods and services in ways that benefit the community as a whole.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, SEE THESE LINKS:

http://tradejustice.ca/en/section/1

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/07/09/ceta-canada-eu-free-trade_n_1660348.html

http://www.canadians.org/action/2012/CETA-resolution.html

http://www.bcbusinessbeat.com/news-ceta.html

