Stall Makes Insane Trade Pact A Major Canadian Election Issue

Aug 1, 2015

Stall Makes Insane Trade Pact A Major Canadian Election Issue

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The world's largest economic trade agreement that, when finalized, would encompass more than 40 per cent of the world's GDP and require the systematic dismantling of publicly owned companies, has been stalled.

  The most recent round of negotations for the Trans Pacific Partnership, held in secret not only from the public but even from elected officials in the 12 countries involved, ended without the expected final agreement. 

That makes TPP a major election issue, because it means that the TPP can still be stopped. The question is, which leader will stop it? Justin Trudeau has said virtually nothing about the agreement, but he has ultimately supported many of Harper's worst actions, including Fipa in 2013 as well as Bill C-51 last year. 

That leaves Elizabeth May, who has, along with Green Parties in every effected country, spoken out against TPP negotiations for years, and Thomas Mulcair, who has criticized various aspects of the negotiations in the house, but not against the deal itself. 

The deal is so bad for the average citizen in every country involved that all negotiating governments are required to keep it a secret from their citizens. Governments have, for the most part, simply ignored it while compliant media simply avoid mentioning it at all. In New Zealand, the media have covered the opposition to the deal as well as the New Zealand government's rather telling response to demands for the deal to be made available for the public to read before it's signed.