Canada: The Trans-Pacific Agreement Will Sap Whatever Is Left of Our Sovereignty
By Nadia Alexan
Global Research
October 11, 2015
If you really think we live in a free and independent society, think again. What sovereignty are we left with, when we have already forfeited our birthright to multinationals?
What freedom are we talking about when a private company can challenge our laws in court, according to the various so-called free-trade agreements, negotiated by our governments in secret: NAFTA, the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union (CETA) and now the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)?
Trade is the new euphemism for a Bill of Rights for Corporations.
Pushed by employers and transnational corporations, our governments are increasingly bartering our freedom in favour of a handful of private transnationals, whose powers surpass those of the state. These agreements grant their member companies, the right to challenge our laws and regulations in areas, such as: the protection of water, the environment, our public services, our health care, our roads and bridges and our sewer systems. Consequently, a transnational can sue our government, in secret, in private courts, without recourse, should they consider our laws an obstacle to their profits.
According to the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives, Canada has forked out $171 million in compensation to transnational corporations under Chapter 11 of NAFTA, since it was implemented in 1994.
By way of example, in 1997, the US company Ethel Corp. demanded $251 million of the Canadian government, because it was forbidden from using MMT, a neurotoxic, gasoline additive, harmful both to human beings and to the environment. An agreement to the benefit of the company enabled it to continue selling its harmful product. Moreover, the Canadian government was forced to recant publicly and to pay the company the sum of 1.3 million U.S. dollars in compensation.
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