Canada is currently participating in negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
This agreement has the potential to offer significant benefits to our country, but there is also a lot at stake. Everything from our food security and Internet freedom to health-care delivery could be impacted.
It is very clear that the Canadian Government must negotiate carefully.
The NDP believes there are three major themes that ought to guide Canada: increasing transparency of TPP negotiations, defending and promoting Canada’s interests, and supporting strong human rights, labour and environmental standards.
As with any international agreement affecting Canadians’ lives, Canada must strive for transparency, openness and accountability. Such important pacts should not be negotiated in secret. That is why we have called on the government to release the draft text of the TPP to parliamentarians, implement a program of broad consultation ensuring significant Canadian stakeholders are involved, and establish a regular reporting process to inform the Canadian public.
Increased transparency is possible – in the United States, the TPP text is available to members of Congress.
We are urging the federal government to maintain vital Canadian interests as the talks progress.
We believe that it is in Canada’s interests, and reflects Canadians’ desire, to maintain an agricultural policy that supports a strong farming sector in healthy rural communities, with a stable system that produces safe, affordable food.
Furthermore, Canadians want fair trademark and copyright laws to ensure we have a free and open Internet, a balanced creator-user structure and timely access to cost-effective prescription medicines.
We also believe it is critical to preserve the ability of municipal, provincial, First Nations and federal governments to legislate in the public interest, particularly in the areas of social policy, environmental regulation and resource development.
These interests, and many others, are under pressure from a number of TPP nations, including the U.S., Australia and others. They need to be vigorously advanced and defended.
When any trade negotiation takes place, it is important to ensure emphasis is placed on solid human rights, labour and environmental standards.
Canada has a responsibility to ensure that democratic development is addressed.
It is of concern that a number of countries involved in the TPP negotiations lack democracy and basic freedoms, including expression, press, religion, assembly and association. Child labour, forced labour, detention of political dissidents and draconian laws targeting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer community (including stoning to death) are among some of the human rights violations that have been identified.
All of these violate core Canadian values and must be addressed.
As the Official Opposition, we believe the TPP has the potential to bring benefits to Canada. This can only happen if the negotiations are conducted with transparency and accountability, and the final agreement protects Canada’s interests and champions Canadian values.
Vancouver-Kingsway MP Don Davies is NDP critic for International Trade.
