The Council of Canadians and Friends of the Earth Europe released a new report, Tar Sands: Europe’s complicity in Canada’s climate crimes, which recommends banning European imports of Canadian tar sands bitumen and freezing tar sands expansion. “The Canadian government must recognize that there’s no such thing as ‘sustainable’ development of the tar sands,” says Andrea … Read more
With the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) text revealed, the Council of Canadians asks that new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) not repeat the mistakes of his predecessor by failing to consult with the public about the agreement. After years of secret talks where only cleared advisors and lobbyists were consulted – with no input from Parliament, … Read more
The 12 signatory countries of the Trans-Pacific Partnership wrapped up a trade agreement, the details of which will probably only be revealed after the federal election. The Council of Canadians questions the legitimacy of a deal that has been negotiated in secret without any democratic input. “The Harper government has signed a deal that will … Read more
The Council of Canadians said that trade deals such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement are bad for Canadian national pharmacare. “Canada’s policies on pharmaceuticals need work, but these trade deals are a step in the wrong direction,” said Michael Butler, health care campaigner for the Council of Canadians. “CETA is a poison pill that … Read more
The Council of Canadians issued a statement: Hopes are high that world leaders will conclude with a multilateral agreement on climate change in Paris this December. But any agreement could be undone when government leaders attempt to implement changes back home. Thanks to the thousands of trade agreements that have been negotiated in recent decades, corporations … Read more
According to a poll conducted for the Council of Canadians by EKOS Research, 71 per cent of Canadians support the Parliamentary Budget Officer assessing the Canada-Europe Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. “Canadians, especially progressive Canadians, want to move beyond partisan rhetoric with an independent analysis of the Canada-Europe trade deal,” says Sujata Dey, trade campaigner with the … Read more
On the cusp of the federal election debate on the economy, the Trade Justice Network, (www.tradejustice.ca), a coalition of Canadian unions, environmental groups and citizens’ groups, is calling on federal leaders to mandate the Parliamentary Budget Officer to do real fact-based analysis before they sign “free trade” deals that are destructive to Canadian jobs. In the case … Read more
On July 3, the Council of Canadians issued a statement saying that ministers from 12 countries negotiating the secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) announced that they were unable to reach an agreement. Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) was expected to call an election Sunday or Monday, while boasting of the success of the undisclosed agreement. The … Read more
The Council of Canadians has commented on how Canadian mining company Gabriel Resources has the right to sue the Romanian government for its refusal to grant the firm an environmental permit. “Investor-state dispute settlement provisions are a Pandora’s box,” says Sujata Dey, trade campaigner for the Council of Canadians. “Canada has suffered under NAFTA, where we are the … Read more
The Council of Canadians, together with other international human rights advocacy groups, expressed concern with the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, calling for a halt to further negotiations until proper human rights impact assessments are done before negotiations proceed any further. “It is essential that we know the true human cost of … Read more
