From the equality of rights springs identity of our highest interests; you cannot subvert your neighbor's rights without striking a dangerous blow at your own. Carl Schurz

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

New CETA documents leaked this morning.

The Trade Justice Network has in it's possession newly leaked documents detailing Canada's initial services and investment offers to the EU in the nearly completed free trade negotiations. The documents, which were previously secret but leaked this morning by the Quebec Network on Continental Integration have been posted on the Trade Justice Network site for all to read.I haven't had a chance to read them yet so I have no idea what they contain but if they are anything like the ones in the original leak they could be explosive.

2 comments:

  1. Hm. Looks like it'll be lots of hard work to figure out what the full implications are. Those documents are the lists of reservations for services and investment. The things that the governments have to claim NOW to get them excluded from being controlled by CETA (and european interests).

    The documents only show what's been excluded, so that means that everything else is potentially included. Without a thorough knowledge of "everything else", it'll be hard to figure out what's being sold out from under us.

    A place to start would be to compare Ontario's 50 or so reservations with the other provinces that are doing less for their citizens. For example:
    "Members of religious bodies
    must be registered to solemnize a
    marriage in Ontario and must be
    Ontario resident or have
    parish/discharge in Ontario."


    Looks like the "marriage market" is up for sale outside of Ontario, Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.

    It's something like some sort of 1000-card game of Cribbage. List and name all the points now (as well as the points you're likely to have/want in the future), or else Europe will have decades to study and work at it and keep calling "Mulligan!" against the citizens of Canada.

    If CETA gets passed, I'll have to strongly think about incorporating myself in Europe to gain all these eurocorp superpowers. :P

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  2. Hi Anon, With CETA anything not expressly excluded is automatically included.So as you say these docs will require much study in order to fully understand the full scope of our exposure under CETA.

    For instance it appears that water does not appear in the lists of exclusion so it is likely that water is at risk here. Another point to consider is that these are the feds and the provinces first offer so as in all negotiations some of the exclusions contained in these docs have more than likely been bargained away.

    It appears that Canadians are in for one hell of a shock in a few months time when the are confronted with a signed sealed and delivered trade and investment agreement that most have never even heard of.

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