NAFTA: BARLOW REPORT: "Getting It Right . . . "

NAFTA: BARLOW REPORT: "Getting It Right . . . "

Postby Oscar » Mon Oct 16, 2017 10:22 am

From NAFTA 1.0 to NAFTA 2.0, Council of Canadians’ Maude Barlow outlines a NAFTA renegotiation agenda for the rest of us

[ https://canadians.org/media/nafta-10-na ... da-rest-us ]

Media Release October 16, 2017

OTTAWA — NAFTA renegotiations continue today in Arlington, Virginia. To shed light on the issues, the Council of Canadians today released "Getting It Right: A People’s Guide to NAFTA" by Maude Barlow, its honourary chairperson and veteran NAFTA critic. It explains in plain language what’s at stake in the deal for our jobs, our environment, and our democracies. [ https://canadians.org/sites/default/fil ... _Right.pdf ]

“The Council of Canadians vigorously opposed NAFTA and its predecessor, the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, when they were being negotiated, and we have monitored these agreements and their fallout closely since. Our opinion of NAFTA has not changed, quite the opposite, and we document why here,” she writes.

In her report, Barlow evaluates the agreement signed 23 years ago, assesses the proposals on the table from Canada and the U.S., and recommends a path forward for those who want to protect water, jobs, the environment and democracy. In particular, she lays out Canadian progressive trade proposals.

“Progressive voices in Canada that have been highly critical of NAFTA as a tool for corporate interests find ourselves somewhat caught. Labour, environmental, indigenous and social justice groups obviously do not side with the ‘Make America Great Again’ nationalism of the Trump administration,” she says, “At the same time, we are deeply critical of the pro-free trade policies of the Trudeau government and are highly doubtful that it is going to achieve any meaningful results from the renegotiation process unless NAFTA is profoundly changed.”

Barlow says the fundamental NAFTA issues that affect us all have been sorely lacking in public debate.

“There is an overload of information circulating on NAFTA renegotiation—on the moods and whims of Trump, the various negotiating strategies, to the different needs of corporate industries in the deal. Very little of it, though, focuses on how the rest of us are impacted. This is a major oversight that I have attempted to correct,” explained Barlow.

The report is available online at: [ https://canadians.org/publications/gett ... ting-nafta ]

For more information on the NAFTA campaign: [ http://www.canadians.org/nafta ] -30-

Contact: Sujata Dey, Trade Campaigner
sdey@canadians.org, (613) 796-7724.

For media calls:

Dylan Penner, Media Officer
Cell: (613) 795-8685
Office: (613) 233-4487, ext. 249
E-mail: dpenner@canadians.org

For all other calls:

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Re: NAFTA: BARLOW REPORT: "Getting It Right . . . "

Postby Oscar » Mon Oct 16, 2017 10:29 am

"Getting it Right: A people’s guide to renegotiating NAFTA"

[ https://canadians.org/sites/default/fil ... _Right.pdf ]

October 16, 2017

The governments of North America are deep into a process of renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement that was signed over 20 years ago. NAFTA has been instrumental, along with other policies, in increasing wealth inequality, job insecurity, wage stagnation and the creation of a precarious work force. It has weakened public services and led to lower regulatory standards in areas such as food, pesticides, and health and safety rules. NAFTA has allowed American corporations to challenge higher Canadians environmental regulations.

The Council of Canadians vigorously opposed NAFTA and its predecessor, the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, when they were being negotiated and we have monitored these agreements and their fall-out closely since. Our opinion of NAFTA has not changed; quite the opposite, and we document why here.

However, in solidarity with the labour movement and other civil society organizations that are hoping to use these negotiations to insert meaningful chapters and protections for workers, the environment, women and First Nations, we are watching the renegotiation process with a critical eye. We are doubtful that the three parties – Canada, the United States and Mexico – will come to an agreement that rights what is so wrong with NAFTA from when it was written more than 20 years ago. And we are very clear that tinkering with the current NAFTA will not suffice. As the Canadian Union of Public Employees says, “A bad agreement with a good labour chapter is still a bad agreement.”

The Council of Canadians will only support a new trade agreement for North America if it will:

• Remove Chapter 11.
• Put workers and their rights at the heart of a new agreement.
• Promote and protect public services.
• Include strong provisions to protect the environment and natural resources.
• Maintain the right to regulate in the public interest.
• Remove the energy chapter and cancel the proportional energy sharing provision.
• Remove all references to water.
• Maintain and expand the exemption for culture.
• Protect Canada’s supply management system.
• Protect and enhance Indigenous rights.

REPORT here: [ https://canadians.org/sites/default/fil ... _Right.pdf ]
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Re: NAFTA: BARLOW REPORT: "Getting It Right . . . "

Postby Oscar » Sun Oct 22, 2017 10:22 am

Peel Chapter rallies for "A Better Nafta" in Brampton

[ https://canadians.org/blog/peel-chapter ... a-brampton ]

October 20, 2017 - 2:57 pm

Rosemary Keenan of our Peel chapter reports:

“Council of Canadians - Peel Chapter rallied with the Unifor Local in Brampton today, calling for a trade agreement that focuses on people and communities. Rallies took place across Canada, calling for #ABetterNAFTA.

We referenced Maude Barlow's current publication, Getting it Right: A People's Guide to Renegotiating NAFTA, calling for removal of the Investor State Dispute Settlement clause.

We called for putting people at the centre of trade agreements, promoting regulations that protect the health and safety of workers and communities, protecting public services, and removing water as a tradable good.

Local media covered the event. Before leaving we spoke with Brampton North MP Ruby Sahota, gave her a printed copy of Getting it Right: A People's Guide to Renegotiating NAFTA [ https://canadians.org/publications/gett ... ting-nafta ], and promised to drop off a copy of Maude's Boiling Point: Government Neglect, Corporate Abuse, and Canada's Water Crisis." [ https://canadians.org/boilingpoint ]

Tags: chapters
[ https://canadians.org/tags/chapters ]

Mark Calzavara's blog
Council of Canadians' Ontario-Quebec regional organizer
[ https://canadians.org/blogs/mark-calzavara ]
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