Labour leaders meet with Ministers Freeland and Mihychuk on Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal
December 9, 2015
Canadian labour leaders met with Chrystia Freeland, Minister of International Trade; her Parliamentary Secretary, David Lametti; and MaryAnn Mihychuk, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour this morning to kick off consultations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. “We are very encouraged that the ministers have reached out to us to start what we know will be an ongoing discussion about whether this…
Canadian unions say TPP needs thorough public debate
November 24, 2015
The statement below was adopted by the Canadian Council of the CLC at its meeting on November 9. On October 5th, the governments of twelve countries of the Pacific region announced that they had reached a historic trade agreement. Unfortunately for Canadians, there was little to cheer about. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement was negotiated behind closed doors, with no input…
Bad Medicine: Canadians will pay more for drugs and lose privacy under TPP
October 15, 2015
Under the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Canadians will pay more for pharmaceuticals and see the privacy of their health information compromised. The TPP locks in high drug prices by increasing copyright protection and allowing corporations to sue governments for lost profits. Worse, the deal prevents governments from being able to store citizens’ health information in their own country. Patent protection: The…
TPP benefits the powerful corporate lobby, not ordinary working families
October 5, 2015
The Harper government is pushing ahead with an investment deal that will have long-term implications for jobs in Canada’s auto and dairy industries, and drive up prescription drug costs for patients here and around the world. “Trade deals are supposed to benefit ordinary working families, but this deal has nothing to do with balanced trade and developing Canada’s exports,” said…
Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal must not be rushed through
September 29, 2015
Canadian Trade Minister Ed Fast will join last-minute negotiations in Atlanta this week, with the goal of pushing through a deeply flawed “trade” deal few Canadians have even heard about – the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The Conservatives want it passed before the October 19 federal election, a move questioned by many given that Parliament is suspended for the campaign. The…
Profits & People: Canadian extractive sector companies need to be held accountable
July 15, 2015
Canadian extractive sector companies account for almost half of the world’s mining and mineral exploration activity. They have interests in more than 8,000 places in over 100 countries globally. With this amount of power and capacity internationally, it’s important that policies and standards are in place to ensure these companies engage in responsible business practices. This includes worker safety and…
5 reasons to oppose OceanaGold’s lawsuit against El Salvador
June 26, 2015
Given our shared struggle for human rights and corporate accountability, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) supports the position of the El Salvadoran government in respect to the investor-state arbitration suit with OceanaGold. The CLC is against investor-state arbitration that drains countries of their natural resources and gives power to corporations. We call on the Canadian government to reject the Investor State Dispute Settlement…
75% of Canadians have never heard of major “TPP” trade deal being negotiated in secret
June 17, 2015
Three out of four Canadians have no idea that the federal government is negotiating a huge international trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) that could have serious repercussions for the country, a new poll suggests. The poll, conducted by Environics Research Group for Trade Justice Network, found that 75 per cent of respondents had not heard of the…
It’s time to share the secret: The Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement
June 2, 2015
In partnership with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the Canadian Labour Congress is calling on the Canadian government to publicly release documentation related to negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement (TPP). We believe that all citizens of the 12 countries in negotiations should be able to review and contribute to the deal before it is finalized. So far,…
It’s a secret! The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
May 21, 2015
The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement is a broad “next generation” international trade and investment agreement that is being negotiated behind closed doors. TPP is not primarily about trade, but is a broad agreement that aims to change Canadian public policy without domestic debate. As such, the Canadian Labour Congress continues to work with other TPP nation labour centrals, international…