MICHAEL BRADLEY via Getty Images Chrystia Freeland the Minsiter of International Trade from Canada looks on as Ministerial Representatives from the 12 countries for the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership(TPP) agreement in Auckland on February 4, 2016.The ambitious pact -- agreed in October 2015 after marathon negotiations in Atlanta, Georgia -- aims to break down trade and investment barriers between countries comprising about 40 percent of the global economy. / AFP / MICHAEL BRADLEY (Photo credit should read MICHAEL BRADLEY/AFP/Getty Images)

On the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), International Trade minister Chrystia Freeland has claimed to be in “listening mode." And she says no decision has been made yet. It is widely reported that she is touring the country to hear Canadians on the TPP. In February, at Question Period in the House of Commons, she said, “Mr. Speaker, on the TPP, we are doing exactly what we promised we would do during the election campaign. We told Canadians that we would take the time to listen to Canadians and to consult widely on this deal. I myself have been part of more than 50 consultations, and our whole-of-government approach has included more than 200.” But it is not clear whom she is actually consulting. From our experience, it has been the usual blue-chip industry reps, chamber of commerce boards, and lawyers and academics -- not you or me.

"Consultations" in Halifax Here’s the recipe for a government consultation: first of all, the consultations are by invitation only. A select group of industry representatives or university professors are invited. No one else in the local community knows about it. The night before, through snooping, we get a notice that either Chrystia Freeland or her sidekick, Parliamentary Secretary David Lametti, will be doing a press conference, generally at a university the next morning following their consultations. At the actual event, there will be a small boardroom full of people. Sometimes, there are more when they stack the room with university students. There, a panel of experts talk about the TPP’s benefits. Then, there is a short question and answer period, where no one actually answers any questions. There is no record of the questions, and no report, as far as we can see. Only after the event does the government put up pictures of the “public consultation.” Here are some of the highlights of the open consultations: Vancouver, January 13: The event was billed as “part of a national consultation tour.” Panellists included John Ries, a professor of business economics at the Sauder School of Business, Matilde Bombardini, a professor at the Vancouver School of Economics, and moderator Yves Tiberghien, director of the Institute of Asian Research. Unfortunately, as our Chapter activist Tilby notes, "All the panellists minimized the impact of the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provision and made little or no reference to the impact on our democracy." Nor did Freeland appear to see ISDS as a major issue. Meghan Sali from Open Media noted that six people were allowed to ask questions. None were answered. Quebec City, January 18, and Halifax, January 20: For Quebec City, we heard about the event hours before. For Halifax, we got a notice the night before that they would be consulting the Halifax Port Authority. We were unable to attend. Montreal, January 14: The notice was surprisingly long: three whole days in advance! There was a panel of three academics: Vincent Arel-Bundock, Cléo Paskal and Krzysztof Pelc. Only a few questions from the audience. No responses. Many students in the room. I snuck in a question about how this deal was created in secret between the plutocrats of the world, and how could Freeland reconcile this with her writing on inequality. We are all waiting for the answer. Regina, January 21: Again, this was an event that received less than 24 hours’ notice, as noted by Council of Canadians member Jim Elliot in the Regina Leader Post and the Regina CTV.

"Consultations" in Regina Winnipeg, January 22: Just the next day, again, with less than 24 hours’ notice, they had another “public consultation.” Our Prairies organizer, Brigette Depape, and activist Jobb Arnold managed to have a conversation with Parliamentary Secretary David Lametti. St. John’s, March 16: In this case, it seems that some activists were able to get invitations through the Harris Centre. But apparently, no mainstream media showed up, as these tweets show.