Extreme, secret, undemocratic
- Details
- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
- Written by editor
Billionaire companies are trying to bully the Liberals into putting corporate profits before our rights in NAFTA negotiations this weekend in Ottawa. Help us fight back - send a message to the government calling for the removal of toxic corporate rights rules from NAFTA.
Dear PAOV,
In just a few days, negotiators from the U.S., Mexico and Canada will converge on Ottawa for a critical round of NAFTA negotiations where sources are saying things are really going to heat up. [1]
Corporate lobbyists are fighting tooth and nail to preserve dangerous and extreme rules in NAFTA called “Investor State Dispute Settlement” (ISDS). ISDS gives corporations the power to sue our government for laws that protect our environment and our health.[2]
Time is running out to influence this deal, and unless we speak up in a big way, lobbyists could bully the Liberals into putting corporate profits ahead of the public interest.[3-4]
The government has opened an inbox to get the public’s input on what it should prioritize in negotiations — and almost 10 000 Leadnow members have already sent messages calling on decision-makers to strip ISDS from the deal. We want to hit at least 15 000 messages before meetings start on the weekend to let negotiators know that Canadians want toxic ISDS rules out of NAFTA.
Supa, will you help us up the ante against these toxic rules that let billionaire corporations sue Canada? Send a message now:
Billionaire corporations have used these “Investor State Dispute Settlement” (ISDS) rules to sue the Canadian government in outrageous lawsuits decided in secret courts. Canada is the most-sued nation in the Global North.[5]
NAFTA (The North American Free Trade Agreement) is a 20-year-old deal between Canada, Mexico, and the US. While it has done some good, NAFTA is a striking example of how the engine of global trade has been hijacked in favour of corporate power, precisely through ISDS.
The Investor State Dispute Settlement rules have nothing to do with traditional trade issues. ISDS is:
- Extreme. They give corporations the most powerful rights in the world: a special global "court" system made just for them where they can go to challenge any government law, policy, regulation — even a Supreme Court ruling — they think will harm their bottom line. They can be awarded unlimited amounts of public money as "compensation" for loss of future profits.[6]
- Secretive: corporate lawsuits take place behind closed doors in secretive tribunals. Decisions aren't made by judges, but by “arbitrators” — corporate lawyers who might rule on an lawsuit one day, and defend a corporation in another suit the next. Their decisions are rarely made public, and there’s no way to appeal them.[7-8]
- Anti-democratic. Corporations use ISDS to challenge government decisions they don't like. It's a toxic system that undermines the very nature of democracy. With the tribunals fully rigged in their favour, corporations are suing governments more and more. Even the threat of an ISDS lawsuit can scare governments into rolling back their decisions. Most of the corporate lawsuits against Canada have targeted our environmental protections.[9]
With negotiators descending on Ottawa in just a matter of days for a critical round of NAFTA talks, we need to act fast to if we’re going to convince them to strip ISDS from the new NAFTA.
Click here to submit your message to the government telling them you want ISDS out of NAFTA.
https://act.leadnow.ca/stop-isds/
Thanks for all you do,
Brittany and Katelynn, on behalf of the Leadnow team
P.S: We’ve got a few tricks up our sleeve to make a huge splash at the NAFTA negotiations. Stay tuned!
Sources:
[1] 'Record pace': Canada to host NAFTA Round 3 in Ottawa later this month
(CBC): http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nafta-talks-round-3-ottawa-1.4275391
[2] NAFTA's Chapter 11 Makes Canada Most-Sued Country Under Free Trade Tribunals
(Huffington Post) http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/01/14/canada-sued-investor-state-dispute-ccpa_n_6471460.html
[3] Canadian businesses outline NAFTA priorities in meetings with top negotiators [paywalled]: https://insidetrade.com/daily-news/canadian-businesses-outline-nafta-priorities-meetings-top-negotiators
[4] Canada says hard ‘no’ on changing NAFTA dispute resolution: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/canada-says-hard-no-on-changing-nafta-dispute-resolution/article/2632845
[5] NAFTA's Chapter 11 Makes Canada Most-Sued Country Under Free Trade Tribunals
(Huffington Post) http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/01/14/canada-sued-investor-state-dispute-ccpa_n_6471460.html
[6] The court that rules the world (Buzzfeed): https://www.buzzfeed.com/chrishamby/super-court?utm_term=.pgnmKWVoA#.rta0MDVmZ
[7] Foreign Investor Protections https://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National%20Office/2016/06/Foreign_Investor_Protections_TPP.pdf
[8] Reforming the NAFTA Investment regime: http://www.ase.tufts.edu/gdae/Pubs/rp/PardeeNAFTACh4HartenFDINov09.pdf
[9] NAFTA's Chapter 11 Makes Canada Most-Sued Country Under Free Trade Tribunals
(Huffington Post) http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/01/14/canada-sued-investor-state-dispute-ccpa_n_6471460.html
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