4 reasons why the Trans Pacific Partnership must be stopped

It's been a month since the full text of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) was released, and it's clear that this sweeping and historic trade pact between Canada, the United States, and ten other countries will not serve Canadians' interest, and must be stopped dead in its tracks.

The TPP was negotiated in secret by Canada's previous Conservative government, which signed on to the pact in the middle of the 2015 Federal Election (while most voters were focusing on other issues). But now that we've had some time to digest the details of the TPP, trade experts, economists, and civil society groups are sounding the alarm over provisions in the deal that could hurt Canadians' job security, health, and ability to govern ourselves, while accelerating climate change in the process.

In terms of jobs, Unifor economist Jim Stanford says the TPP could eliminate thousands of manufacturing jobs in the automotive sector, partly because Canada has agreed to waive an important tariff on imported vehicles 25 years before the United States will do so. The deal also lists a number of skilled occupations where an employer will no longer be required to perform a labour market assessment to prove that a Canadian worker is not available to fill a position, thus allowing employers to hire foreign workers before even considering domestic candidates.

The TPP may threaten Canadians' health as well. Doctors Without Borders and other health experts are warning that the deal could increase pharmaceutical drug prices by providing greater monopoly protection for brand-name drug companies and introducing new legal barriers that will make it harder for generic drug makers to compete and innovate. This could potentially result in millions of people being deprived of affordable medicines going forward.

With respect to Canada's sovereignty, the TPP's investor-state dispute settlement provisions give foreign businesses the right to sue Canadian governments for enacting laws that may harm their interests. In other words, a foreign company could block a national, provincial, or municipal law aimed at encouraging consumers or businesses to "buy local," thereby undermining the ability of governments to pass laws in the public interest. These provisions may also cost governments billions of dollars in lengthy court battles with foreign companies.

When it comes to global warming and climate disruption, the TPP doesn't even mention the words "climate change," despite the fact that most countries agree the climate crisis is the number one challenge facing the world right now. Worse, the Sierra Club says the TPP would empower oil companies to attack climate policies in private tribunals; lock in future fossil fuel production by expediting natural gas exports; increase greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging more palm oil production; and restrict government efforts to fight climate change.

This is to say nothing of the harm that the TPP would inflict on Canada's dairy industry by allowing for significantly more imports of yogurt, ice cream, and various types of cheese. The previous federal government acknowledged this dilemma when it was negotiating the deal, but instead of working to protect Canada's farmers during TPP negotiations, the Harper Conservatives committed $4.3 billion in aid to farmers and processors to compensate for the losses they'll suffer as a result of the deal.

All of which demonstrates why Canadians must pressure the Trudeau Government to protect our health, climate, job security, and ability to govern ourselves by stopping the TPP. You can do your part by signing the Council of Canadians' petition asking Justin Trudeau to safeguard our collective future by rejecting the TPP. Together, we can stop this disastrous pact from ruining virtually evertyhing that Canadians hold dear.