NAFTA/USMCA: Canada's moment on a 'road to Damascus' . . . !

NAFTA/USMCA: Canada's moment on a 'road to Damascus' . . . !

Postby Oscar » Sun Oct 21, 2018 8:38 am

Liberals Should Consistently Fight Trade Deals That Let Corporations Sue Canada

[ https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/maude-bar ... _23566289/ ]

The Huffington Post News 10/19/2018 16:49 EDT | Updated10/19/2018 17:08 EDT

Investor-state dispute settlement was tempered in the USMCA, but the government needs to justify why it persists asking for it in other agreements.

By Maude Barlow, Sujata Dey

The current Liberal government recently had a road to Damascus moment. After defending Investor State Dispute Settlement provisions (ISDS) around the world, suddenly Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said she championed the elimination of Chapter 11 between Canada and the U.S. in the new USMCA.

Freeland said ISDS's loss was Canada's gain: "It has cost Canadian taxpayers more than $300 million in penalties and legal fees. ISDS elevates the rights of corporations over those of sovereign governments. In removing it, we have strengthened our government's right to regulate in the public interest, to protect public health and the environment."
WATCH VIDEO: 1 hr. [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIWxCobKvSs&app=desktop ]

More than 35,000 of our supporters and allies wrote to Minister Freeland asking for the elimination of the Chapter 11 ISDS mechanisms in NAFTA. Chapter 11 allows companies to sue countries over their policies — often environmental and public interest policies — if they affect profit. [ https://canadians.org/blog/nafta-20-bet ... ply-flawed ]

For years, we stood by and watched as big U.S. businesses challenged our regulations. With $2.6 billion in challenges ongoing and 37 suits, Canada had become the most-sued developed country in the world [ https://canadians.org/blog/why-canada-o ... ries-world ], thanks to Chapter 11. [ While the U.S. never lost a case, Canada received the brunt of the NAFTA challenges. [ https://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites ... 202018.pdf ]

So while Freeland's conversion was astonishing, it was completely justified.

It was as if, for one second, Freeland had joined the Council of Canadians. If only it were true.

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Oscar
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