In Free Trade Agreements Attack Democracy And Human Rights, Michaël Lessard, of Huffington Post, describes the first day of the Peoples Social Forum at the University of Ottawa which focused on the "free trade" agreement between Canada and the European Union which occurred on August 21. Six speakers suggest that the real purpose of these so called "free trade" agreements is to establish treaties that "give new special rights to corporations, which undermine the democratic rights of peoples."
The first major problem with these "free trade" treaties these speakers call "trapping democracies with non-return valves"
Larry Brown (National Union of Public and General Employees, NUPGE) wants the people to know that "free trade" agreements usually include what is nicknamed check valves (non-return valves) that aim to stop governments from converting a privatized service back to a public service. The agreement between Canada and the European Union is said to contain such a principle, where for example, a city council would lose its right to make water treatment a public service if it was privatized while the agreement stood. If a city council or government changes its mind concerning a privatized service, the corporation or investor can bring that authority before a special tribunal for loss of profit. Democracies do not have the right, it would seem, to turn back, unless they assume the high costs of the judicial process and the compensations to be paid to the corporations.
These agreements allow corporations and investors to sue if laws trouble or hamper their enterprises. Social movements believe that legitimate laws, to protect our environment or our health, could fall under such lawsuits. Mr. Brown named the recent example of Lone Pine: a US company that wants to extract shale gas below the Saint Laurence River and sued Quebec (using NAFTA) for applying a moratorium on fracking.
Both Canada and the USA are said to be negotiating such a pact with the European Union now. (CETA/AECG)
Another issues is that "Agreements that must be kept secret till the last moment."
Scott Harris (Trade Justice Network) denounces what is judged as antidemocratic processes. The negotiations do not allow any citizen participation. In fact, even federal MPs are excluded from the negotiations and are kept as far away as possible from the texts. Certain interested corporations are said to have received privileged information according to Mr.Harris.
"They have realized that the more people have access to the texts of these agreements, the more the people criticize and denounce them," analyzes Harris
Without access to proposed texts social activists such ourselves are kept out of the process so we do not have time to learn about troublesome issues and educate ourselves as to the implications until it is too late to organize alternatives or even become fully aware of implications.
Please bookmark this valuable addition to our limited knowledge of what is going on with these "free trade" agreements. A few months ago I did a lengthy analysis of these free trade agreements which I will attach a link to in an update.