CETA: A view from Canada

1. Sujata Dey, Trade Campaigner Council of Canadians CETA: A viewfrom Canada

2. Council of Canadians • 100,000 members, largestindependentcitizen’sorganization in Canada • Otherorganizations: Trade Justice Network in the rest of Canada, and Réseau québécois sur l’intégration continentale in Québec

3. History of NAFTA • CUFTA,22 years go NAFTA, Canada’s first free trade agreement, • CETA EU’s first firstgeneration trade agreement Promises • Wealth: CEO salaries soared , growth, but not 1994 • Manufacturing: The Caterpillar Corporation demanded its employees take a 50% pay cut. When they refused, Caterpillar moved its production line to Indiana. 600 Canadian workers lost their jobs. Then four years later, Caterpillermoved its production line to Mexico, where it could pay even less. • Detroit or Windsor • In the past six years alone, Canada has lost 350,000 manufacturing jobs. Incomes have stagnated. Family debt is at historic levels. • Supposed to growproductivity but didn’t Pushed Canada intoresourceeconomy: proportionality clause BIG DEBATE IN THE US ELECTION!

4. ISDS and Chapter 11 in NAFTA • NAFTA, in 2014, Canada, the mostsueddeveloped country in the developed world 37 suits, • So far, the Canadian government has paid out 135 million euros, mostly to American corporations. Cases worth 175 billion euros are pending • Most in NAFTA, 70 per cent • Twothirds are over environmentallaws. • Lone Pine: Quebec’s moratorium on fracking on the St. Lawerence.300 million • Ethyl, ban on the import of gascontaining MMT, a suspectedneurotoxin. The governmentrevoked the ban and paid the company 13 million dollars • Exxon-Mobil : Newfoundland local economicdevelopment program 17.3 million dollars • Dow AgroSciences: Quebecbanned 2,4-D, a pesticdewhich has been linked to cancer by the Council for naturalresoruceesdevfense. The governmenthad to declarepubliclythat the chemicaldid not pose an ‘acceptable risk’ to humanhealth, which the governmenthadsaidbefor • Bilcon Construction, asked for 300’000 whenthereproject to construct a martime terminal quarry on a very sensitive environmental zone on the Bay of Fundy • Mesa Power Group asked for 775 million dollars to go againstOntario’s local green energyact.

5. CETA good agreement • Gold standard • Shared values • Canada has a new  "progressive feminist " prime minister. • No community has a veto • Kinder Morgan pipeline approval • Harper negotiated deal

6. Canadian good guys? • Small market • Mining and ISDS,75 per cent of world’sminingcompanies are based in Canada….humanrights and environment record, worst • Rosia Montana Romania. ..2.7 billion Euro. Skouries mine in Greece • FQD tar sands • Amount of Canadian-US integration 42,000 US companies, 80 per cent of US companies operating in Europe, • Integration of Canadian and US economy • Manysimilarlaws and practices

7. Corporate concentration and NAFTA In all three NAFTA countries, corporate concentration in the agricultural sector has intensified since the agreement came into force, leading to larger farms, heavy and unsustainable use of chemicals, and declines in prices paid to farmers. • In the U.S., there is evidence to indicate that “NAFTA and WTO require American farmers to adopt factory-style agricultural operations in order to survive. Record drops in net farm income translate into sub-poverty wages.” http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/bcbrasil.html • Agriculture exports tripled from $11 billion to $33 billion between 1988 and 2007. Yet, according to a survey by the National Farmers Union, net farm income fell by more than half over this same period, while Canadian farm debt doubled. https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/food-sovereignty-canada • In the last 40 years, Canada has lost 45 per cent of its farms. The number fell from 366,128 in 1970 to 204,730 in 2011. http://www.nfu.ca/story/agricultural-impacts-ceta So now, the situation in Canada is: • In Canada, farms with $1 million or more in revenue make up 5 per cent of the number of producers but nearly half of Canada’s food production. Family farms are fewer and larger, StatsCan says,” The Globe and Mail, May 10 2012. • Two foreign companies, U.S.-based Cargill and Brazilian-based GBS, together account for over 90 per cent of Canada’s inspected beef-packing capacity.http://www.nfu.ca/story/agricultural-impacts-ceta

8. Some Canadian practices • Ractompoime: used in Pork • Neocortinoids: • Hormone in Beef: WTO decision, alreadybacked on chicken in negotiations • GMOs: 3rd largestproducer, no labelling, salmon GMO justproduced out of PEI • Animal welfare: no penalties • Precautionaryprinciple in CETA, and in Canada • GIS 140 protected, compared to 1400 ,ecognized by EU • Supply Management • Regulatorycooperation

9. Public services and procurement • Ratchet and standstill • Canada access to markets, 80 municipalitiesthat are againstit • Exceptions in Annex I and II stillsubject to ISDS • Health and social services exemptions oldage homes, ambulances,

10. Economicstudies • No evidence of 80,000 jobs • 0.09 per cent is growth is predicted. The 2008 ceta pre-study admits that there will be an exacerbation of Canada’s commercial deficit. • Manystudies out of US are indicating NAFTA inequality

11. State of Play in Canada “Canada finds itself in the odd and slightly uncomfortable position of waiting on two large trade deals, one in the Pacific region and the other with the European Union. The Liberal government favours both deals, the negotiations for which began long ago under the Harper Conservatives. No domestic opposition of consequence exists, apart from the usual grumblers who don’t like free trade, period, but who are are no longer consequential, except in their own minds.– Globe and Mail • Union movement, environmental, civil society and over municipalitiesunanimouslyagainstit. • 80 municipalitiessignedresolutionsagainst CETA • TPP is the more galvanizing free trade agreement, like TTIP in the US • CETA is to beimplemented, TPP to beconsulted on • Only one party against: Green Party, NDP stillevaluatingit • MajorityLiberals in the House • Canada, implementinglegislation

12. Fighting TTIP, CETA and ISDS: Lessonsfrom Canada • Narrated and written by Maude Barlow • Handimation and report available in English, French, German, and Spanish. Videoavailable in Greek. Report available in Polish. • http://canadians.org/transatlantic-trade-deals