KURTENBACH: The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement

[Oscar]

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement

February 7, 2017

To the Editor,

The Trans-Pacific Partnership [TPP] is an agreement that is being proposed by American corporate and political interests. It is primarily designed to protect the right of corporate investors.

At this time, there is no assurance that the TPP will be adopted in the US. There are a number of well-known Americans, like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Joseph Stiglitz, who are warning American citizens that the TPP will favour corporate special interests.

From a Canadian perspective, the TPP contains a good deal of the ideology of the previous Harper government. These include the Investor State Dispute Settlements [ISDS] under NAFTA which has resulted in the Canadian government paying millions of dollars in fines levied primarily by American interests. Canada has paid more fines than either Mexico or the United States. The TPP would also permit the extension of the present patent protection on prescription drugs, even though brand name drug companies invest very little money in Canadian research and development. Canada has also been cited as a seller of raw and semi-processed material, while at the same time allowing the US and industry demands on Canadian copyright, trade secrets and digital rights. These could lead to significant losses to Canadians.

If we value our sovereignty, and wish to maintain it, Canadians need to be aware of, and be opposed to, any Canadian involvement in the formation of a Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.

Leo Kurtenbach
Saskatoon, SK
PHONE: 306-652-5129