Safety & regulations
Harper government kills proposed GM labelling law while potentially criminalizing health products in Bill C-51
May 6, 2008
Posted by Brent Patterson and Stuart Trew
Harper talks a good line on food safety but his actions prove he cares less about your health than corporate priorities.
As reported by Greenpeace Canada on Thursday: “A private member’s bill giving consumers the right to know if the food sold in Canada contains genetically engineered (GE) ingredients was defeated in the House of Commons today by a vote of 101 to 156." (more...)
Bill C-51 and the SPP
May 6, 2008
Posted by Brent Patterson
A key initiative within the Security and Prosperity Partnership calls for the, "Identification and appropriate adoption of best practices in maintaining the safety, efficacy and quality of pharmaceutical products." (more...)
Nothing new from the Disaster Summit but dangerous SPP initiatives live on
April 29, 2008
Posted by Stuart Trew
The media and business consensus following last week’s Security and Prosperity Partnership summit in New Orleans is that the trilateral meeting didn’t produce anything significant. While this is partly correct – no new initiatives were announced – the ones we’re stuck with are bad enough. And while we learned a few new things about the SPP’s progress since Montebello, very few of the details ended up in the news. (more...)
Amnesty International slams SPP secrecy in letter to Bush, Calderon and Harper
April 21, 2008
Posted by Pierre-Yves Serinet
Amnesty International has sent Prime Minister Harper and his U.S. and Mexican counterparts a letter condemning the secrecy behind the SPP and demanding that it be brought to each country's respective legislatures “to facilitate meaningful public debate.” (more...)
The Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), Round Four
April 16, 2008
Posted by Bruce Campbell (Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives)
As the NAFTA leaders and their big business counterparts gather in New Orleans a few days from now for the fourth North American Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) summit, it is worth reflecting on its role in North American integration. (more...)
Partnership not dead by far, says Fraser Institute, which calls on Canada to “expand and speed up the SPP”
March 18, 2008
Posted by Stuart Trew
In an effort to demonstrate that the best defence is a good offence, a new Fraser Institute report by Alex Moens and Michael Cust, argues that the Canadian government must “expand and speed up the SPP goals,” and make a priority of “rebranding the SPP talks… as well as explaining the specific objective of the talks to the public” at the next summit in New Orleans this April or risk the trilateral partnership losing much of its momentum. (more...)
EPA discusses North American toxics harmonization at GlobalChem conference
March 18, 2008
Posted by Stuart Trew
More evidence today that the business-friendly SPP (like NAFTA, upon which it is built) poses an increasing risk to global as well as continental public interest policy. (more...)
Updated fact sheets on SPP available from Common Frontiers
March 14, 2008
Posted by Rich Arnold (Common Frontiers)
Common Frontiers has revised several fact sheets on ‘free trade’ to help cut through the spin and clutter around the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) – a ‘next generation’ trade deal involving Canada, Mexico and the United States. (more...)
How Bush weakened U.S. ozone rules: “Smart” regulation in action?
March 14, 2008
Posted by Stuart Trew
The Washington Post reports today about a last-minute intervention by President Bush that effectively weakened limits on smog-forming ozone that were contained in the Clean Air Act. (more...)
Democrats will be held accountable for NAFTA talk, says U.S. trade analyst
March 12, 2008
Posted by Stuart Trew
As NAFTAgate was just starting to make front-page news in Canada last week, trade analyst Chris Sands was telling Embassy magazine to take U.S. renegotiation rhetoric seriously. (more...)
Wow - A public meeting on the SPP... in Washington
February 20, 2008
Posted by Stuart Trew
Washington D.C. will get a rare chance to debate the SPP’s regulatory harmonization agenda next month when an economic advisory committee made up of business reps, unions and even civil society groups will actually meet to discuss the North American partnership. (more...)
Government set to announce really dumb “smart” regulations for food and consumer safety
February 19, 2008
Posted by Stuart Trew
According to the Globe and Mail today), “Toys, food and drugs coming into Canada may soon be subject to sweeping new regulations designed to protect consumers from the types of problems that led to massive product recalls last year.” (more...)
An "Amero" for your thoughts? Canadian dollar, regulations a “barrier” to integration, says Woodrow Wilson Center report
February 12, 2008
Posted by Stuart Trew
When the National Post feels strongly about an issue it doesn’t hold back. There were three – count-em, three – op-eds in today’s paper advocating deeper North American integration, including the possibility of a common currency across the continent. (more...)
Walrus article attacks the continentalist climate criminals
February 11, 2008
Posted by Stuart Trew
Relying on the "Security and Prosperity Partnership" google news alert for updates is kind of like fishing. Sometimes you hook a prize-winner, like this article on the recent Mexican anti-NAFTA protests by Katie Kohlstedt, or a recent news hit on the NDP's anti-SPP tour out of the University of Calgary's Gauntlet magazine. (more...)
Arnie's "green" chemicals proposal shames Montebello Agreement on toxics
February 4, 2008
Posted by Stuart Trew
Once again, the California state government of Arnold Schwarzenegger has stuck its neck out for the environment. Amidst federal movement toward a continental approach to toxics regulation -- the so-called "Montebello Agreement" -- California is exploring "a wholesale shift" in the way industry manufactures everything from prescription drugs to plastics, pesticides and household cleaners. (more...)
SPP prevents progress on fuel efficiency
January 18, 2008
Posted by Stuart Trew
While Conservative Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon's planned new federal fuel consumption standards are a welcome change from the current voluntary arrangement with auto manufacturers, it is discouraging that he is apparently letting Bush set the new standards in the name of regulatory harmonization. (more...)
Cloned food issue gets to the meat of SPP's regulatory matter
January 15, 2008
Posted by Brent Patterson
Vegetarians will probably shrug their shoulders but Canadian meat eaters may soon have another reason to hate the SPP: cloned meat. (more...)
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