CETA: Trudeau signs CETA amid protests in Brussels

[Oscar]

Trudeau signs CETA amid protests in Brussels

[ http://canadians.org/blog/trudeau-signs ... s-brussels ]

October 30, 2016 - 11:40 am

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Union leaders signed the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) this morning.

Liberal trade minister Chrystia Freeland commented, "It's a great day for Canada. It's a great day for Europe." Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper stated, "I am pleased to see the Canadian Government conclude the final chapter in what has been an incredible effort by so many in securing unprecedented free market access to our European allies."

Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow has tweeted, "CETA signed. Flawed deal, bad process, no guarantee of ratification."

This morning, CBC reports, "Even though it's now signed, it doesn't signal the finish line. Ratification is not guaranteed." And the Canadian Press reports, "[The investment court system] does not take effect right away and may never take effect. A source with knowledge of the deal said on Friday that, in fact, the investor court will come into being only if no European parliament rejects it. 'For this system to come into place, all 28 member states have to ratify it – or at least not vote CETA down', the source said. 'That is a process that could take years.' If one country votes to reject the investor court, it will not form part of the Canada-EU deal. 'It will be all or nothing.'"

The Canadian Press adds, "The Trudeau government has said many decisions are still to be made about the structure of the investor court, and it hopes that tweaks to the arrangement could satisfy all legislators across 28 states."

The ratification process in Europe, which involves 38 national and regional parliaments, is expected to take up to 5 years.

Yesterday, CBC reported, "Freeland is expected to introduce an implementation bill before the end of the year to change laws affected by the agreement."

The CBC highlights, "Outside EU headquarters, a rowdy group of about 250 anti-CETA protesters gathered to block the front entrance. Red paint was smeared on the building. About 15 people were removed from the protest by police."

To watch a 75-second video of European activists breaching the police barricades in front of the European Commission building, please click here: [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZAoMVdiMOo ]

For further analysis, please see WIN! CETA may be signed, but its investment provisions & ratification are in doubt:
[ http://canadians.org/blog/win-ceta-may- ... -are-doubt ]

#StopCETA

Brent Patterson's blog
Political Director of the Council of Canadians
[ http://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]

[Oscar]

Road to CETA adoption still riddled with obstacles, clear debate needed

Media Release October 30, 2016

Ottawa – At 3:00 p.m. CET (9:00 a.m. EDT) today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signed the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) in Brussels. This is the third time Canada has signed the agreement. The Council of Canadians believes that the deal faces an uphill battle over the 2-5 year ratification process.

"The problems still haven’t been ironed out and Wallonia and other parliaments have signalled that they won’t accept CETA in its current form," says Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians.

In order for CETA to enter into force, the deal must survive ratification votes in the European Parliament, as well as 28 national and 10 regional parliaments. If just one of the parliaments rejects the deal, it is unlikely to go ahead.

Already, in the Belgian declaration, five regions have said that they will reject the investor state dispute settlement (ISDS ) system in its current form. There are serious concerns about the deal in Germany's Bundesrat and a referendum on CETA is planned for the Netherlands. Adding even more uncertainty, there are elections in France and Germany in 2017 where CETA, unpopular in polls, could become a defining ballot-box issue.

The European Court of Justice will also be ruling on the ISDS provision, which could mean that part of the deal is never enforced. And the German Constitutional Court, which has already ruled that ISDS cannot be provisionally applied, is expected to make a second ruling on whether the ISDS provision is compatible with the German constitution.

"Prime Minister Trudeau may get his sought after signing ceremony, but the fate of CETA and its 'investment protection' provisions face a long uphill battle," says Sujata Dey, Trade Campaigner with the Council of Canadians. "More than 3.5 million Europeans have signed a petition against CETA and there is significant opposition in EU member state countries." - 30 -


For more information or to arrange interviews:

Dylan Penner, Media Officer,
Council of Canadians, 613-795-8685,
dpenner@canadians.org. Twitter: @CouncilOfCDN